ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at how to use all of those bits and pieces that you generally throw away. Children follow instructions involving several ideas or actions. Mathematics develops and improves children's skills in counting, understanding and using numbers; calculating simple addition and subtraction problems. Children investigate and experience things and 'have a go'. They explore characteristics of everyday objects and shapes and use mathematical language to describe them. Children count reliably with numbers from one to twenty, place them in order and say which number is one more or one less than a given number. Using quantities and objects, they add and subtract two single-digit numbers. An early years classroom is typically organised to promote the social skills and develop understanding of young children through stories, songs, rhymes, finger games and board games. The key ingredients are to give greater emphasis to children's developing language and to encourage all children to learn by working together.
