The Young Child and Mathematics, Third Edition
About the Book
Everything a child does has mathematical value—these words are at the heart of this completely revised and updated third edition of The Young Child and Mathematics. Grounded in current research, this classic book focuses on how teachers working with children ages 3 to 6 can find and build on the math inherent in children’s ideas in ways that are playful and intentional.
This resource
- Illustrates through detailed vignettes how math concepts can be explored in planned learning experiences as well as informal spaces
- Highlights in-the-moment instructional decision-making and child–teacher interactions that meaningfully and dynamically support children in making math connections
- Provides an overview of what children know about counting and operations, spatial relations, measurement and data, and patterns and algebra
- Offers examples of informal documentation and assessment approaches that are embedded within classroom practice
Deepen your understanding of how math is an integral part of your classroom all day, every day.
Includes online video!
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
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Preface
- About this Edition
- Our Theory of Learning
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Introduction
- Everything a Child Does Has Mathematical Value
- Finding and Building on the Mathematical Value
- An Overview of this Book
- Engaging with this Book
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Chapter 1: Counting and Operations
- Instructional Activity: Counting Collections
- Exploring Children’s Thinking: Counting
- Exploring Children’s Thinking: Operations
- Assessing Children’s Understanding
- Counting and Operations in Informal Spaces
- Conclusion
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Chapter 2: Spatial Relations
- Instructional Activity: Describe-Draw-Describe
- Exploring Children’s Thinking: Describing Spatial Relations
- Exploring Children’s Thinking: Representing Spatial Relations
- Assessing Children’s Understanding
- Spatial Relations in Informal Spaces
- Conclusion
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Chapter 3: Measurement and Data
- Measurement and Data in Informal Spaces
- Instructional Activity: What Do You Notice?
- Exploring Children’s Thinking: Measurement
- Exploring Children’s Thinking: Data
- Assessing Children’s Understanding
- Conclusion
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Chapter 4: Patterns and Algebra
- Exploring Children’s Thinking: Creating and Extending Patterns
- Assessing Children’s Understanding: Tea Party Patterns
- Exploring Children’s Thinking: Patterns in Counting
- Assessing Children’s Understanding: How High Can Christopher Count?
- Exploring Children’s Thinking: Patterns and Algebra in Storybooks
- Assessing Children’s Understanding: Storybook Patterns
- Conclusion
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Appendix A: A Research Overview of What Young Children Know
- What Young Children Know: Counting and Operations
- What Young Children Know: Spatial Relations
- What Young Children Know: Measurement and Data
- What Young Children Know: Patterns and Algebra
- Situating What a Child Knows
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Appendix B: Using this Book to Support Professional Learning
- Bringing an Instructional Activity into Your Classroom
- Making Connections Across Math Content
- Exploring Informal Spaces
- Creating Classroom Spaces that Support Participation
- Connecting Classroom Practice to Research
- Connecting Theory to Practice
- Connecting to Policy and Standards Documents
- References
- Index
- Acknowledgments
- About the Authors
Book Details
Book Details
Product Code: 1157
ISBN: 978-1-938113-93-2
Publish Date: 2021
ISBN: 978-1-938113-93-2
Publish Date: 2021
Citation (in Chicago 17th ed. style):
Turrou, A.C., N.C. Johnson, & M.L. Franke. 2021. The Young Child and Mathematics. 3rd ed. Washington, DC: NAEYC.
Related Resources
Related Resources
Articles
“Playful Math Instruction in the Context of Standards and Accountability” - Deborah Stipek provides several examples of engaging activities that show how to use standards, curricula, and assessments to support—not stifle—math learning through play. (Young Children, July 2017)
“Encouraging Persistence and Positive Attitudes Toward Math” - Explore tips for creating a classroom culture that supports children in tackling challenges head-on in this article by Jessica Mercer Young and Kristen E. Reed. (Teaching Young Children, August/September 2018)
For Families
“Support Math Readiness Through Math Talk” - Eugene Geist describes five ways families can use math talk at home to inspire their children’s mathematical thinking and understanding.
Looking for more resources on MATH? Visit our topic page to browse our collection of articles on the topic.
Reviews
The Young Child and Mathematics is an important resource that extends our view of both learning and teaching mathematics. Grounded in research, guided by concerns for equity, built from practical experiences, and permeated with the principle that children’s mathematical thinking is paramount, this is the resource that will enrich mathematical experiences for teachers and children.
—Douglas H. Clements, Distinguished University Professor, Kennedy Endowed Chair in Early Childhood Learning, and Executive Director of the Marsico Institute, University of Denver
To read this book is to be invited into a world of rich interactions among young children and teachers where children’s mathematical ideas, experiences, and identities are affirmed and allowed to flourish. With exquisite detail, you’ll develop a fresh perspective to see the mathematical value in children’s playful and joyful interactions and discover how to build on them together with your colleagues.
—Elham Kazemi, Professor of Mathematics Education, University of Washington
Love it! This book is full of everyday and universal examples of how children make sense of their world and the math found around them. It is a timely resource that I can use to remind me of the why and how of engaging young children—not just in math experiences, but across the range of experiences they encounter throughout the day. I find a new “aha!” with each turn of the page. This is a welcome addition to my resource shelf and a must-have for anyone who wants to be responsive and connect to children’s lives while helping them develop and nurture their math thinking.
—Tammy D. Dunn, Head Kindergarten Teacher, Little Red School House and Elisabeth Irwin High School
The Young Child and Mathematics, Third Edition, focuses on finding, encouraging, and supporting math thinking throughout the day. Math learning opportunities are highlighted both inside and outside of spaces typically thought of as “math time.” Rather than a detailed account of what is involved in early childhood mathematics, this book focuses on a smaller number of math ideas and dives deeply into them with real-world vignettes from the classroom as anchors. The authors explore and describe children’s thinking and teachers’ practice within each story, returning to these examples throughout the chapter to illustrate a mathematical point or emphasize an aspect of math teaching, learning, or development. It does a great job of translating research-based recommendations into practical tips for teachers, like how to extend mathematical problem solving with follow-up questions. Readers will discover the math all around them—and also how to find it, how to assess it in authentic ways, and how to raise up children’s math ideas equitably.
—Alissa A. Lange, Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education and Director of Early Childhood STEM Lab, East Tennessee State University
This book is a valuable resource that helps educators intentionally design joyful, creative learning spaces and activities that empower children as they play with math. In addition to illuminating vignettes, a strong conceptual framework encourages readers to delve more deeply into their own personal understandings of how young children develop mathematical competency and confidence. A must-read for any educator interested in encouraging a love of math in children!
—Deanna Pecaski McLennan, Kindergarten Educator and Author of Embracing Math
This new edition is the perfect resource for early childhood educators. It serves as a professional research-based math education textbook as well as an engaging can’t-put-it-down resource with classroom examples and photos that any educator of young children will learn from and love!
—DeAnn Jones, Professor of Early Childhood Education, Purdue University Global and North Seattle College, and Owner and Teacher, Discovery Place Preschool
The Young Child and Mathematics puts children—their sensemaking, competencies, languages, and cultures—at the center of math teaching and learning. Well informed by research on effective teaching, the book vividly describes how teachers can build on young children’s math understandings through developmentally appropriate and playful activities.
—Deborah Stipek, Professor, Stanford University
The third edition of The Young Child and Mathematics is clear, readable, and beautifully grounded in real classrooms. The authors’ deep respect for young children, early childhood educators, and important mathematical ideas shines through on every page!
—Tracy Johnston Zager, Math Coach and Author of Becoming the Math Teacher You Wish You’d Had
