Parental Support of Math Readiness Skills: How to Promote and Optimize It

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

Children demonstrate mathematical competence early in development, but this competence varies substantially between children even at school entry. This suggests that experiences at home play an important role in predicting children's math competence by the start of kindergarten. Previous research has focused primarily on number-related home activities; however, broader perspectives on math development suggest pattern and spatial skills are critical components to mathematical cognition as well (Mix & Cheng, 2012; Rittle-Johnson et al., 2015). This symposium brings together researchers studying parental support of children’s number, spatial, and patterning skills using a variety of methods (e.g., behavioral observational and parental report), ultimately illustrating how parents can contribute in different ways to the development of preschool children’s math readiness skills.

Sub Unit

• Division C - Learning and Instruction / Division C - Section 1c: Mathematics

Chair

• Erica Leigh Zippert, Vanderbilt University

Papers

• How Children Make Sense of Number Talk in Early Childhood: The Importance of Understanding Cardinality - Leanne Elliott, University of Pittsburgh; Melissa Libertus, Johns Hopkins University

• Parental Support of Preschoolers' Number, Pattern, and Spatial Skills Predicts Concurrent and Later Math Knowledge - Erica Leigh Zippert, Vanderbilt University; Bethany Rittle-Johnson, Vanderbilt University

• All Shapes and Sizes: Promoting Early STEM Talk Is Easier Than You Think - Laura Zimmermann, University of Delaware; Brian Verdine, University of Delaware; Lindsey Foster, University of Delaware; Maya Marzouk, University of Delaware; Dunia Tonob, University of Delaware; Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Temple University; Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, University of Delaware

Discussant

• Michele M Mazzocco, Institute of Child Development