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
Hold up your right thumb (left as the children see it), palms facing you. Count in ones, holding up one finger with each number until the little finger, saying 5 louder and waving the hand. Continue on 2nd hand, stressing ten and waving both hands as you do so. Repeat twice, asking children to join in.
Hang cards 1 to 10 on a washing line. Make a soft toy rabbit count in ones along the line, emphasising 5 and 10. Repeat, so that more children join in. Children hold up fingers one at a time to match the numbers as they count.
Chants/Rhymes/Songs
Sing a rhyme which counts back from 10 to 0, e.g. 10 fat sausages sizzling in the pan, one went POP and the other went BANG! See an animated example of 10 Fat Sausages from www.YouTube.com. Ten children could pretend to be the sausages.
Afterwards, the 10 children stand up and everyone shouts 10! One sits down, all shout 9, and so on until all children are sat down, all shout ZERO.
Story
Count the Monkeys by Mac Barnett.
Count all the animals that have frightened the monkeys off the pages!
Exploring and Playing
Play-dough; rolling pin; wooden cubes/multi-link; number cards 1-10; counting objects e.g. shells/ beads/counters/stones (matched to a class theme?); ~10 cups/small bowls; small figures/ animals/ pebbles/ vehicles/ jewels; coloured card as counting mats; pens; sticky notes; Flapjack recipe and ingredients (see resources); cups; spoon.
Active Learning
Open bread basket/box; 10 soft toys or teddies; masking tape; paper; 1-10 cards (see resources); whiteboards; large spotty dice; pens; number tiles 1 – 8; big bricks and bikes or scooters.
Creating and Thinking Critically
Set of six tins/small boxes/small bags or pouches; animals on printed sticky labels (see resources); small pebbles/stones/beads; number cards 1-6 (see resources); nets of numbered boxes (see resources); felt pens; ‘precious’ objects e.g. beads/ marbles/conkers/Lego; glue/tape; set of dominoes per pair; soft toys, plates, cups, plastic knives, forks, spoons; some cakes and squash to complete the tea party!
Counting
FLIPPY, FLOPPY FINGERS
BIG FIVE
Chants/Rhymes/Songs
Recite the rhyme Peas in a Pod, matching to 1 finger, 2 fingers, etc. until the pea pod pops (see resources).
Story
Five Creatures by Emily Jenkins. This story lends itself well to partitioning five.
Exploring and Playing
Toy animals; lolly sticks; bricks; lots of same-sized Lego bricks; mini people/ figures; bird and fish templates (see resources); scissors, thread, tape; tin foil/colouring pencils/crayons/tissue paper; Rich Tea finger biscuits; raisins; dried cranberries.
Active Learning
IWB with sheep pen/gate images, simple cutouts of paper sheep, whiteboards and pens, 1-5 number cards; soft toy cats & dogs (5 of each); trouser hanger; same coloured pegs; cloth; cubes.
Creating and Thinking Critically
Coloured counters; 3 x 3 grid (see resources); set of dominoes per pair of children; painted beans (see preparation); toy train engine, piles of two different-coloured bricks/ interlocking cubes.
Counting
Pair up children and give them a number to hold. Make sure that each pair has a different number up to 12 or 13 or 14 or 15, depending on the size of your class.
Count slowly to 20 together. When each number is said the pair holding it must stand up! If they miss their number, they must stay seated.
The first time you do this, some pairs will forget to stand at the right time. Practise until everyone can do it perfectly!
Ask questions: Which number comes before your number? Which number comes after your number?
Chants/Rhymes/Songs
Five Currant Buns (see resources).
Sing and act out this rhyme and continue until no currant buns are left in the baker’s shop.
Story
10 Black Dots by Donald Crews.
Exploring and Playing
Whiteboards; interlocking cubes; camera; Numicon; pens; A3 paper; paint; paintbrushes; play dough; mats.
Active Learning
Whiteboards; pens; board markers; counting aids, e.g. Numicon/cubes etc.; see-through plastic bag; 4/5/6 or 7 of the same objects; pens; Dotty cards (see resources); Sixes Snap instructions (see resources); Lily pads and Frogs (see resources).
Creating and Thinking Critically
Dotty cards (see resources); Number tiles (see resources); Operation tiles (see resources); Missing numbers (see resources); Sentence templates (see resources); My Number (see resources); cubes; whiteboards and pens.
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