Early Childhood Teachers Will Learn How to Integrate Math Into the Curriculum with New NAEYC Book

Spotlight on Young Children: Exploring Math shares ideas to help children develop, use, and reflect on their mathematical understandings

WASHINGTON —The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is pleased to announce the publication of Spotlight on Young Children: Exploring Math, edited by Amy Shillady. In the newest addition to NAEYC’s best-selling Spotlight series, teachers of children from infancy through age 8 will learn how to help children develop, use, and reflect on their mathematical understandings.

Research shows that in order for young children to gain the foundational skills for later success in mathematics, it is important for teachers to incorporate math into the daily curriculum. In this book, a collection of articles from NAEYC’s award-winning journal Young Children, readers will find ways to provide in-depth, engaging learning experiences for young children focusing on key math concept areas: number and operations, geometry, measurement, and data analysis.

Articles cover topics ranging from using music and “math talk” with infants and toddlers to teaching mental computation strategies in the primary grades. The book also provides a comprehensive resource list and a professional development guide with questions and activities to help readers reflect on current practices and incorporate new ones.

“Educators can help young children build the math skills they need to do well in school and in life by providing in-depth experiences in a logical sequence on key math concept areas,” said Shillady. “Given the recent focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education, this is more critical now than ever before. I hope the articles in this book inspire teachers to provide meaningful and engaging mathematics activities for the young children they teach.”

The book is part of NAEYC’s Spotlight series—compilations from Young Children on key topics for early childhood educators. These best-selling books are useful resources for the college classroom and for professional development. Teacher educators and professional development specialists can use the study guides to facilitate learning, while readers can use the study guides individually or in small groups with colleagues or fellow students.

Spotlight on Young Children: Exploring Math ($14.00; 64 pages; ISBN 978-1-928896-85-2) is available for sale from NAEYC’s Online Store. Review copies are available upon request.