Exploring and Playing
Short Blocks
Maths Reception Autumn Number and Sets
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.
Partitioning to create number bonds (suggested as 5 days)
Active Learning
Creating and Thinking Critically
Maths Out Loud
Counting
FLIPPY, FLOPPY FINGERS
- Take a number, e.g. 4, off the pegged number line. Say the number together. Four. Say: Flippy, floppy, flippy, floppy, show me!
- Children show four fingers standing up. They must use both hands! E.g. 2 fingers standing up on one hand, and 2 on the other, or 1 standing on one hand and 3 on the other. They could show 4 and none.
- Ask: Who’s showing three and one? Those children stand up.
- Who’s showing two and two? Those children stand up.
- Who’s showing four and none? Those children stand up.
- Play again, using a different number, e.g. 3 or 5.
BIG FIVE
- Write 5 big on the board.
- Say a smaller number, e.g. two. Children must show you how many fingers go with two to make 5.
- Repeat, saying a different number.
- Rehearse all combinations.
- Can be repeated for BIG FOUR or BIG SIX.
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.
You Will Need
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.
Recording number bonds (suggested as 5 days)
Exploring and Playing
Active Learning
Creating and Thinking Critically
Maths Out Loud
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.
You Will Need
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.