Exploring and Playing
Maths Reception Autumn Understanding Number
Hamilton's Reception Maths planning targets the key characteristics of effective early learning:
- Through Exploring and Playing, children independently engage with their peers and their environment.
- Active Learning group activities promote the motivation needed to be involved and to keep trying.
- Guided Creating and Thinking Critically supports development of problem-solving & reasoning skills.
Maths Out Loud: whole-class counting, repetitive chants, rhymes, songs and a linked story to enjoy together.
Counting and naming numerals (suggested as 5 days)
Active Learning
Creating and Thinking Critically
Maths Out Loud
Counting
With all the children, count from 1 to 20 in unison. When you say ‘five’, children wave one hand in the air. When you all say ‘ten’, they wave a second hand in the air. Then they put their hands down and continue counting. When you say, ‘fifteen’, they wave one hand in the air, and when you say ‘twenty’, they wave both hands in the air.
Repeat this, counting again to twenty in the same way.
Repeat several times.
You will notice that children who are unsure about the sequence of numbers, all join in on the multiples of 5. These act as ‘markers’ where everyone can be saying the same number enthusiastically!
This counting as a large group is an essential prerequisite for all the activities in this Unit.
Chants/Rhymes/Songs
Sing ‘One Man Went to Mow’. You could learn and sing along with this animated version of One Man Went to Mow from www.YouTube.com.
Story
Anno’s Counting Book by Mitsumasa Anno.
When reading this, make the most of all the different ways in which each number may be found. This book repays several readings, both to a group and individually or in pairs.
You Will Need
Exploring and Playing
A large glove puppet; Number cards 1-10 (see resources); lots of small objects; spotty dice 1-6; see-through plastic bags; Lego bricks; dotty number cards 1-10 (see resources); 10 small soft toys; a basket or box; Number cards (see resources).
Active Learning
Number cards 1-10 (see resources); Fortune Teller template (see resources); crayons and felt-tip pens; 10 bowls of natural objects around the room, e.g. bowls of 7 conkers, 4 pine cones, 3 flowers, 8 pebbles, 5 leaves, 2 shells, 6 feathers, etc.; safety pins; counters.
Creating and Thinking Critically
Small shells/dinosaurs/figures/plastic animals, etc.; Number cards 1-10 (see resources); small animals; animal pens; Lego/Duplo; sticky notes; chalk.
Ordering numbers: sequencing (suggested as 5 days)
Exploring and Playing
Active Learning
Creating and Thinking Critically
Maths Out Loud
Counting
This activity is the same as that on Unit 1. The reason is because it needs to be repeated over at least two weeks and more. Without this repetitive chanting, the other activities become impossible. Children need the foundation of the known count.
With all the children, count from 1 to 20 in unison. When you say ‘five’, children wave one hand in the air. When you all say ‘ten’, they wave a second hand in the air. Then they put their hands down and continue counting. When you say, ‘fifteen’, they wave one hand in the air, and when you say ‘twenty’, they wave both hands in the air.
Repeat this, counting again to twenty in the same way.
Repeat several times.
You will notice that children who are unsure about the sequence of numbers all join in on the multiples of 5. These act as ‘markers’ where everyone can be saying the same number enthusiastically!
Chants/Rhymes/Songs
One, two, three, four, five – once I caught a fish alive. This animated version of One, two, three, four, five... once I caught a fish alive from www.bbc.co.uk is great.
Story
1 – 20 Animals a Plenty by Kate Viggers.
Simply brilliant book for counting to 20.
You Will Need
Exploring and Playing
Ace to 10 playing cards: a set per child; items in the class shop, labelled with prices £1 to £10 (or £6); number labels; bikes/tricycles/ scooters, etc.; Duplo/ Lego bricks; toy animals.
Active Learning
A 1 to 6 or a 1 to 10 number track (see resources); one or two spotty dice, Lego/Duplo; Ace to 10 playing cards in one suit of your choice; counters; Number cards 1-10 (see resources); pack of playing cards with the Jacks, Queens and Kings removed.
Creating and Thinking Critically
Number cards 1-10; washing line and pegs; a puppet; number cards 1 to 10 and 1 to 10 (see resources); safety pins; counters; blank number track (see resources).
One more/less up to 12 (suggested as 5 days)
Exploring and Playing
Active Learning
Creating and Thinking Critically
Maths Out Loud
Counting
Sit children in a circle. Pass a teddy round the circle as you count. Pass teddy back again as you count back, slowly at first, gathering pace until teddy reaches 1.
Split the class into 2 groups. Count to 100 using 1-100 grid, each half of the class saying alternate lines on the grid.
Give 10 children cards 10, 20, 30… 100. Use 1-100 grid to aid counting to 100, children stand up and show their cards when their number is said. Other children use fingers to count each 10, waving 1 hand or 2 for nos. ending in 5 or 0.
Chants/Rhymes/Songs
Sing songs or say rhymes which start with one object/ character and add one more each time, e.g. One man went to mow or Dinosaurs to Ten. Ask children to be the objects or characters.
Story
One Elephant Went Out to Play by Sanja Rešcek (illustrator).
You Will Need
Exploring and Playing
10 chairs; a steering wheel; a bus stop; numbers 1-10 on tiles/cards/as number shapes; spades/trowels; cardboard box; toy cars; number cards 1-12; 1-12 number track; chalk or number tiles/mats; large bricks.
Active Learning
Pegged ‘washing line’ with large numbers 1-10; 1-6 dice; 4-9 dice; dice adapted to show 1-2-3-3-4-4; pegged number line 1-9; playdough/salt dough; counters; boards for dough; chalk; beanbags; lots of number shapes, e.g. Numicon; number cards 1-10 (see resources).
Creating and Thinking Critically
Pegged ‘washing line’ with large numbers 1-12; Teddy; number cards 1-12; big bricks; 5-10 dice; 1-6 dice; 10 soft toys; blanket.