During the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) your child will start their formal maths learning journey. Throughout Nursery and Reception, your child will be playing with numbers every day and using a range of familiar objects to help them understand basic mathematical ideas.
You’ll find hundreds of EYFS maths worksheets, games and activities here to support learning at home, including basic skills like counting up to ten and beyond, using a number line, sharing objects into equal groups, understanding that ‘addition’ means adding on, and ‘subtraction’ means taking away, naming and describing the shape and size of 2D and 3D shapes and building models and shapes.
Articles
What your child learns in Nursery maths
Times tables and long division may be a way off, but the basic numeracy skills your child begins to learn in Nursery will lay the foundations for the years ahead.
Reception maths: what your child learns
It’s amazing how much your child will learn about maths in the first year of school. Here’s a rundown of the main topics so you know what to expect.
Early maths skills: how your child learns about number
Counting may seem as easy as one-two-three to us, but it’s a tricky skill for your child to learn. We explain the stages of getting to grips with number in Reception and Year 1.
Tutorials
Using the words in between and beside to describe the position of an object tutorial
Do you know how to use the words in between and beside to describe the position of an object? Let our digital show you how. Then answer some questions to check you've mastered this skill!
Ordering the numbers one to ten tutorial
Can you order the numbers 1 to 10? Practise with our digital teacher!
Comparing weights of different objects tutorial
How can you tell if one object is lighter or heavier than another? Let our digital teacher show you how to compare weights of different objects in this interactive tutorial.
Worksheets
Learning your own important numbers
Some numbers might be more important to you than other numbers. Ask your grown-up to help you answer the questions below. Then find the correct number and stick it in the spaces.
Quick counting Snap game
Shuffle the cards and play Snap! Place a card face-up on the table. Then take turns to form a face-up pile of cards next to it. When the number on one pile matches the picture on the other, that’s SNAP! The player who says “snap” first keeps the cards. Keep playing until one player has all the cards – they win!
Spot the missing numbers
Can you spot the missing number on the hedgehog, the balloon, the beach ball and the car? What about on the star?
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The Reception Maths Learning Journey is a course of 40 worksheets that cover all the key topics in the numeracy curriculum for Reception Year.
By following the programme, which closely mirrors what your child is being taught in school, you’ll quickly be able to spot any topics that your child hasn't fully grasped and reinforce learning that is happening in the classroom at home. Your child will feel more confident in their own abilities and you’ll know you are giving your child the very best chance of succeeding in school.
We also have a Nursery Maths Learning Journey for the year before your child starts their formal education.
In Reception your child will develop the foundations of all their future numeracy work, learning to count accurately, add, subtract, order numbers correctly and use mathematical language. Find out where to support their learning at home with our Reception Maths Progress checks, then plan lots of numbers fun to boost their confidence.
The tests are designed to help you practise counting, adding 'one more' and subtracting 'one less', basic shape recognition and other key skills with your child at home. Each term’s maths check consists of 20 questions and a total of 20 marks. Work through the questions with your child and include plenty of drawing, Lego-brick counting and Smartie-eating 'subtraction' as possible!
