Maths in general is an area many early years practitioners lack confidence in - many having struggled at school themselves. They need lots of 'bright ideas' for teaching maths, which are not intimidating and are very 'doable'. This hands-on Little Book provides a breadth and depth of content that will enthuse both adults and children to explore fun and exciting everyday situations and number problems together.

Foundations of Mathematics outlines seven strands of practice which underpin successful mathematical development inchildren aged 3-7. Early years mathematics specialists, Carole and Judith, draw on their experience of working with early years practitioners, including consultants and advisers, across the UK and internationally. The book is completely up-to-date and embeds the Revised Early Years Foundation Stage throughout the book. The book brims with multi-sensory ideas that will trigger children's curiosity, measuring using sand mousse, hunting for buried treasure and building secret dens outdoors. There are: - activities that involve playing and exploring, - games to make learning active, and - experiences to develop creative and critical thinking. Alongside these practical experiences and activities are clear explanations of the reasoning behind the ideas with clear guidance on the role of the practitioner and 'Home Challenges' to promote the engagement of families. The authors provide straightforward advice to support the development of a mathematically-enriched learning environment and ideas to help children transfer learning into their own child-initiated play, to build a genuine and solid foundation for mathematics.

Identified as one of the three prime areas of learning in the EYFS 2014, communication and language is high on the agenda of head teachers and leaders in all Early Years and school settings. Speech and 'talk' are at the centre of this requirement, and children are required to meet an expected level in order to be identified as having reached a 'good level of development'. Talk is the precursor to both reading and writing. Essentially, if children have nothing to speak about, they have nothing to write about! The best way for children to enhance their receptive vocabulary (the words they understand) and their expressive vocabulary (the words they use) is by being surrounded by adults who talk and listen to them! Adults should engage children by observing them, tuning into their passions, getting involved in their play and using their interests to trigger their curiosity and therefore form a springboard for learning. This Little Book is packed with lots of low-budget ideas, activities and experiences that will enhance and enrich children's learning journeys through talk!

This brand new Little Book focuses on using everyday objects that appeal to young children in the EYFS, with a clear emphasis on the use of non-standard measures as well as standard measures in meaningful contents. Explore opportunities such as estimating how many 'giant's strides' it is from the door to the climbing frame, or how many handprints tall each child is, as well as using trundle wheels, metre rules, sand timers, stop watches, balances and scales. The activities use simple to obtain and inexpensive materials, so are suitable for practitioners working on a tight budget (which many of them are)!