Exploring and Playing

Hamilton's Reception Maths planning targets the key characteristics of effective early learning:
Maths Out Loud: whole-class counting, repetitive chants, rhymes, songs and a linked story to enjoy together.
Counting
Point to any number on the 1-20 track. Children say the next three numbers. Repeat.
Number bonds
Play ‘Give me 5’. Show a number of fingers up to 5. Children show you the number of fingers needed to make 5, e.g. you show 4, they show 1.
Chants/Rhymes/Songs
Sing ‘5 little men in a flying saucer’, e.g. at Five Little Men in a Flying Saucer from www.bbc.co.uk
Pause to ask how many will be left each time.
Story
Quack and count by Keith Baker
Exploring and Playing
Conkers in a sand tray/pit or pebbles in a box of sand; a selection of 5, 6 or 7 animals; two pens; 2 to 12 number cards (with lots of 6 and 7 cards) and dominoes; trains and carriages in two colours
Active Learning
Pan balance (e.g. the sort used for number shapes), number shapes to 5 (or use sticks of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 cubes); a whistle, whiteboard and pen; an egg box, 6 brown eggs and 6 white eggs, flipchart and pens; coat hanger, same coloured pegs, cloth.
Creating and Thinking Critically
Two cardboard boxes to make caves and six bears; 7 cards and blu-tac®; flipchart; a piece of paper with a large snake drawn with 7 spaces for each child, crayons/paints and brushes/sponges; 1 to 5 number cards; cubes; blank cards; Addition cards (see resources)
Counting
Split the class into two groups. Display a 1-100 grid. The first group say 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, the 2nd group say 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, the 1st group say 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and so on alternating groups of 5 to count to 100.
Number bonds
Place children in pairs. Ask each pair to show you 10 fingers altogether, so one child might show 6 and the other might show 4. Now ask them to do this in a different way. Repeat.
Chants/Rhymes/Songs
Pairs to 10
See download for words of the rhyme.
Story
Ten Red Apples by Pat Hutchins
How many apples have been eaten? How many are left on the tree? Prompt children to try to remember to use number bonds to answer.
Exploring and Playing
10 small cups/ beakers, sand pit; ten bags/socks with 1, 2, 3…; 10 egg cups of dried beans in each with number labels, rocker balance; 10 small plastic bottles, a soft ball; ‘vases’ (plastic containers/cut-down bottles), lollipop sticks, ‘Flowerheads’ (see resources – print onto red and yellow card), glue.
Active Learning
Number shapes, e.g. Numicon, ‘Jigsaws to 10’ PowerPoint presentation (see resources); 10 pegs on a coat hanger, cloth, flipchart and pens, ‘Number bonds game track’ (see resources, copy onto A3), a dice marked up with just 1s and 2s, four different-coloured counters.
Creating and Thinking Critically
Flipchart and pens; Post-it® notes; pan balance (e.g. the sort used for number shapes, balance it first) and number shapes to 10 (or use sticks of 1, 2, 3… 10 cubes); Rainbow sheet (see resource, copy on to A3 paper) and coloured crayons; Pairs to 10 recording sheet (see resources)
Counting
Count on together as children pass the teddy around the circle, but once the count has passed 10, shout ‘Change!’ Children pass the teddy back around, all counting backwards. ‘Change!’ again at 5, and then at 20.
Number bonds
Show 7 fingers as 4 on one hand and 3 on the other. Say ‘four add three equals seven’ and record as 4 + 3 = 7. Then fold down 3 fingers. Say ‘7 subtract 3 is 4’. Stand up the 3. Say ‘four add three equals seven’. Fold down 4. Say ‘7 subtract 4 is 3’, etc. This is to show that subtraction and addition are inverse operations.
Repeat with other pairs, showing a number on each hand. Children copy the process with their fingers.
Chants/Rhymes/Songs
‘One little elephant went out to play’, e.g. at One little elephant went out to play from www.YouTube.com. Children predict how many elephants there will be each time.
Story
Rooster’s Off to See the World by Eric Carle
How many animals do children think Rooster will meet next?
Exploring and Playing
Chairs, a steering wheel and a bus stop; play people and playground equipment, e.g. swings, slide and roundabout; selection of cars and a ‘car park’; plastic cups/beakers in the sand tray/pit.
Active Learning
A 1 to 20 number track, a teddy, a puppet (optional), 20 biscuits, a plate and tea towel; chair, blanket, 5 lions/tigers, flipchart and pens; 1-20 floor track, teddy, two cards: one with +1, one with -1; Ducks on a pond’ PowerPoint (see resources).
Creating and Thinking Critically
Large sheet of paper for game track; counters; coin; bricks; dice with +1 on three faces and +2 on the other three faces; cubes; large sheet of paper for ladder; a dice with +1, +2, +3, -1, +1, +2 on its faces; a 1-20 floor track (or draw one on the playground); addition and subtraction cards
From £155 (+ VAT) per year. Access to all key stages for multiple users.
Sign upJust £45 (£37.50 + VAT) per year to get access to all resources.
Sign upJust £33 (£27.50 + VAT) to get access to all resources for 2 years.
Sign up