Did you know that children's early math skills at the start of kindergarten are one of the strongest predictors of future academic success, not just in math, but also in reading and science? You can have a role in helping families grow strong math skills from the very beginning.

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Meet the principle of cardinality.

‍Encourage parents to both count and label the same set of objects in the environment. For example, when counting a child's fingers, say "1, 2, 3, 4, 5 - there are 5!" This helps children understand that the last number counted represents the total quantity in the set. Understanding cardinality is crucial because it is one of the most important early math milestones and is foundational for almost all elementary math, such as adding, subtracting, comparing, and ordering sets. The earlier a child understands the cardinality principle, the better their later math outcomes.

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To learn more about the importance of early math, listen to cognitive scientist Dr. Nicole McNeil in our latest Keystones Speaker Series.