The well-child visit can be a great opportunity to promote early numeracy. Early numeracy refers to the foundations of mathematical understanding and can be promoted by discussing different quantities, the relationship between large and small amounts, and number naming. Keep reading for a few suggestions:

Counting  & Number Naming – Try asking children questions like, “How many cups of milk do you drink?” or “How many times a day do you brush your teeth?” Remind parents that this everyday math talk can promote their child’s academic knowledge.

Making Comparisons – Let parents know that they can promote numeracy by making size comparisons, like less, more, bigger, and smaller. You can model this by asking the child, “Do you drink a lot of juice, a little juice, or no juice?”

Categorizing and Sorting –  Talking about categories and sorting can also promote a child’s academic knowledge. You can ask, “What vegetables do you eat? Do you like any green vegetables?”

‍