ABSTRACT
There is an increasing focus on the potential for more outdoor play experiences for children at a time when many may have limited access and possibly more restricted learning indoors. With greater awareness of the importance of young children's health and well-being, the outdoor environment has had recent increased focus on its potential for children's overall development. The All Party Parliamentary Group for Maths and Numeracy identifies the difficulties for many parents to engage in mathematical experiences in the home due to embedded attitudes. The groups' paper on Maths and Numeracy in the Early Years concurs with the need to 'raise the profile of maths and encourage the development of mathematical thinking in young children'. It highlights the need to incorporate play into maths and the development of more concrete experiences for young children, especially in developing counting skills and a deeper understanding by practitioners in this key skill of number sense.
