Can You Recognise Quantities Without Counting?
8th October 2022
We have been exploring different ways of improving our math skills by providing opportunities for skill development across the EYFS.
We have noticed the very young children beginning to count spontaneously and gradually using their fingers to point at the objects they are counting. The older ones will often try to say all the names of the numbers they know as they count along and reuse numbers if they have not finished and have used up all the numbers they know!
In their eagerness to make meaning, they experiment as they acquire new mathematical knowledge. It is extremely important to respect their developing understanding and not expect PERFECT counting sequences.
One of the skills they are acquiring is SUBITISING. In the new EYFS framework, children at the expected level of development will be able to subitise (recognise quantities without counting) up to 5! The children’s brains are amazing, they can often see how many things there are without counting them!
By valuing children’s partial understanding, children will develop enthusiasm for numbers and become confident mathematicians.
Subitising is…
- Something we were all born with and have used all our lives but were taught to ignore.
- Something that even babies can do.
- Instantly recognising a quantity without counting.
- What comes before counting and then continues to develop alongside counting.
- Understanding the ‘threeness’ of three etc.
- Recognising amounts less than 5 when presented in different patterns.
- Recognising amounts up to 10 when presented in a pattern.
- Is using your brain’s ability to work with patterns.
- Noticing smaller values within larger ones.
- A skill that lays the foundation for mathematics.
Subitising can be done EVERYWHERE and is a bit ADDICTIVE! Try and subitize! How many can see? What do you notice? What makes the number 3?
