ABSTRACT
This definition suggests that mathematics is to do with young children making sense of a complex world, and dealing with everyday experiences and problems, not just carrying out school or nursery tasks. We know that young children begin this process as new babies. For example, reaching out to grasp a finger involves developing spatial concepts; engaging in turn-taking interactions with a carer is the beginning of recognising and enacting a pattern. Distinguishing the mother’s face from other faces involves recognising similarities and differences, an important aspect of maths – and it is well recorded that babies can recognise up to three items from birth (Karmiloff-Smith 1994).
