Why is it Important to Work on Math Skills in Preschool?

Caitlin Frazier, MS

April 17, 2018

Ask the Experts
Child Growth and Development
Learning Environments
Lesson Planning
STEM
Why is it Important to Work on Math Skills in Preschool?

Question

Why is it important to work on math skills in preschool?

Answer

It's important to work on math skills in early childhood settings, beyond calendar activities. We all know the value of math in our lives as adults, and that it is necessary for children to learn math skills. I was introduced to a study that opened my eyes and convinced me to re-evaluate my practices in an early childhood setting. Greg Duncan, an economist and an education professor at the University of California-Irvine, and colleagues did some research showing why early math matters (Duncan et al., 2007). This study examined six longitudinal sets of data and examined links between various school readiness indicators and later academic achievement. The results showed that the strongest predictor of school success was early school entry mathematics, followed by reading and attention skills. The study found that if young children had strong math skills before they even entered kindergarten, they saw it reflected in grades five, six, eight, ten, and later school successes. This study prompted me to re-evaluate my early childhood priorities and make math more of a priority.

Reference

Duncan, G.J., Claessens, A., Huston, A.C., Pagani, L.S., Engel, M., Sexton, H., ... Duckworth, K. (2007). School readiness and later achievement. Developmental Psychology, 43(6),1428-1446. doi: 10.1037/0012-1649.43.6.1428

This Ask the Expert is an edited excerpt from a course entitled Early Mathematics for Pre-K, by Caitlin Frazier, MS.

Caitlin Frazier, MS

Caitlin Frazier has been a dedicated early learning advocate for over a decade. In addition to being a lifelong learner, Caitlin holds a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education & a Master of Science in Educational Administration. Caitlin has served young learners from New York to California as an administrator, teacher, researcher and consultant in university, public, and private school settings. These experiences have always motivated Caitlin to help high quality early learning become more modern, simple, and accessible. With this mission at the forefront, Caitlin deeply enjoys working with school staff of all levels in order to help them reach their greatest potential in supporting our littlest learners.

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