Abstract
Mounting longitudinal evidence demonstrates that young children's numeracy knowledge before kindergarten determines their mathematics achievement path in primary grades and high school graduation. Mathematics education and children's play do not have to be binary and compete for time in early learning and childcare learning environments. Indeed, researchers demonstrate that play and planned mathematical activities enrich one another and ultimately contribute to children's learning outcomes. Guided play, in which educators combine planned learning experiences with the child-directed nature of play, focuses on learning outcomes through adult scaffolding. This chapter synthesizes research on how play experiences can be an organic but powerful process for scaffolding and elevating young children's mathematical understanding in light of current evidence from early numeracy research. In the conclusion of this chapter, evidence-based recommendations are introduced for facilitating children's developing numerical competencies and activating existing knowledge through guided play.
TopIntroduction
Children’s future success is substantially influenced by the strength of their mathematical competencies upon entering kindergarten (Newbury et al., 2015). Recent longitudinal evidence consistently demonstrates that young children's numeracy knowledge predicts their mathematics achievement from kindergarten to high school graduation. Thus, it is crucial to enhance children’s developing number knowledge and skills in early childhood (e.g., Anders et al., 2012; Aunio & Niemivirta, 2010; Duncan et al., 2007; Geary et al., 2018; Pagani et al., 2010; Siegler et al., 2012). Although the mechanisms of learning mathematics are complex and still partially unknown (Butterworth, 2005; Geary et al., 2018), the quality of this learning and targeted exposure to numeracy concepts are known to make a difference to children's mathematical development (Anders et al., 2012; Aunio & Niemivirta, 2010).
Early childhood education draws on a long tradition of play-based curricula. Play is a unique approach and offers diverse learning opportunities to meet children’s various educational needs (Pyle et al., 2017). Researchers demonstrate that open-ended materials encourage children to engage in higher forms of play, such as constructive and pretend play, compared to lower forms of play, such as object exploration, which run along a spectrum (Crum et al., 1983; Elder & Pederson, 1978; Han & Park, 2010; Lewis et al., 2000; Lloyd & Howe, 2003; Park, 2019; Stagnitti & Unsworth, 2004; Trundle, 2018; Vygotsky, 1967; 2012). Guidance and planned numeracy activities can increase the quality of young children's play and their numeracy outcomes (Clements & Sarama, 2014; 2017).
Play and playful experiences offer a rich context for encouraging development (Zosh et al., 2017) and particularly scaffolding numeracy skills (Vogt et al., 2018). However, they require intentional modification and adult guidance to create growth in children’s numerical competencies (NAEYC, 2002; Pyle et al., 2017; Stipek & Johnson, 2021). Often resources tap onto the benefits of play for mathematics and key experiential factors, making a difference to children’s long-term learning independently. Also, recommendations on young children’s mathematics development and experiences brought forward can be out of touch with the realities of early childhood educators, early learning and childcare settings, and current trends. For instance, play-based learning, loose parts play, and using open-ended material in activities are a substantial part of curriculum planning across North America. Thus, the research synthesis presented here considers current play trends in early learning environments that connect with educators' daily realities.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Guided Play: Learning experiences that combine unstructured play's “child-directed” nature, focusing on learning outcomes through adult scaffolding.
Executive Function: Executive function refers to the cognitive abilities behind conscious self-control of thought, action, and emotion. It involves a group of interrelated processes, including inhibition of impulses, working memory, planning, and cognitive flexibility.
Loose Parts Play: Children's open-ended play that includes open-ended materials (e.g., acorns, plastic lids, pipes, car tires, etc.). Open-ended materials in loose parts play can provide endless opportunities for children to manipulate, experiment, discover, move, elaborate, change, carry, combine, redesign, put together, or take apart.
Affordances: The quality or property of a material that defines its possible uses or clarifies how it should be used. In children’s play, affordances are often explored in objects as children create meaning in their environment.
Mathematical Competency: A cumulative set of skills and knowledge that develops over time and leads to applying mathematical thinking to solve a range of problems in everyday situations.
Provocation: An activity invitation created by early childhood educators for children that consists of beautifully presented materials to explore, investigate, learn, represent, and create ideas.
Free Play: Children’s experiences that allow them to freely engage in the process of exploring possibilities and expressing themselves. In this type of play, children quest to create, invent, reinvent, and negotiate instructions, rules, and solutions. There is no “right” answer or “right” way to complete and finish the project in this process-oriented journey. Free play is often defined along with any materials and toys that can be used in multiple ways symbolically or without any materials.
Open-Ended Materials or Toys: Man-made, natural objects and things that could offer many affordances to satisfy children’s curiosity and give them the pleasure that results from discovery and invention. In children’s play, open-ended materials can symbolize an infinite number of ideas. For example, an acorn or a wooden block can be used as anything imagined, such as cars, animals or food.