Numicon Firm Foundations and Early Years Outcomes

Supporting Mathematics inthe Early Years Foundation Stage

Numicon Firm Foundations and the Early Years Outcomes and Early Learning Goals

Numicon is a proven approach to teaching and learning designed to givechildren the understanding of mathematical ideas and relationships thatis essential for successful reasoning and problem-solving. The use ofapparatus builds children’s mental image of abstract concepts, and helps todevelop their understanding of the connections between different areas ofmathematics. The resources cover the key mathematical ideas for number and shape, space and measures that are essential foundations forfurther mathematical thinking.

We have correlated the activities and activity groups from Firm Foundations to the Early Years Outcomes and Early LearningGoals for the Early Years Foundation Stage in England (2014) to support teachers in theirplanning. These correlations will be useful whether schools choose to followthe activities in the order outlined in the Planning Support (Section 2),or prefer to dip in and out of the teaching materials for different topics.

Each child’s progress towards the outcomes and goals will be different. Assessments should be based on what a child can do consistently and independently in a range of everyday situations, and include children’s self-initiated activity as well as what they do when prompted. Where learning is secure, it is likely that children often initiate the use of that learning.

If, during their Reception year, children are taught using the Firm Foundations teaching materials, some of the elements within the Securing Foundations section of the Number, Pattern and Calculating 1 Teaching Resource Handbook will already have been addressed, so that you can move through this section more quickly. This should be taken into account when planning for the beginning of Year 1.

Teaching Materials Featured in this Correlation:

Numicon Firm Foundations
ISBN 978-0-19-837522-7

Number Early Years Outcomes
30 to 50 months / Numicon Firm Foundations Activity Group reference
Children should be given opportunities to: / Daily Maths and
Daily Counting Opportunities / All doing maths together / Activities with structured apparatus / Exploring maths all around us
Use some number names and number language spontaneously / A, B / 1, 3 / 3, 4 / 3, 4
Use some number names accurately in play / A, B / 1, 3 / 3, 4 / 3, 4
Recite numbers in order to 10 / B / 2, 3, 10, 19
Know that numbers identify how many objects are in a set / A, B / 1, 4, 5, 7, 13 / 4, 7, 13 / 3, 4, 6, 7
Begin to represent numbers using fingers, marks on paper or pictures / A / 1, 3 / 14, 15
Sometimes matches numeral and quantity correctly / A, B / 2, 4, 5 / 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 / 4, 7
Show curiosity about numbers by offering comments or asking questions / A, B / Covered in all activity groups
Compare two groups of objects, saying when they have the same number / A, B / 7, 13, 18 / 3, 13
Show an interest in number problems / A, B / 1, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 / 7, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19 / 7, 9, 11, 15, 17, 18
Separate a group of three or four objects in different ways, beginning to recognize that the total is still the same / 13, 14, 15 / 13, 14, 15, 19
Show an interest in numerals in the environment / A, B / 1, 19 / 2
Show an interest in representing numbers / A, B / Covered in all activity groups
Realize not only objects, but anything can be counted, including steps, claps or jumps / B / 18 / 15, 19
Number Early Years Outcomes
40 to 60+ months / Numicon Firm Foundations Activity Group reference
Children should be given opportunities to: / Daily Maths and
Daily Counting Opportunities / All doing maths together / Activities with structured apparatus / Exploring maths all around us
Recognize some numerals of personal significance / A, B / 1, 2 / 4 / 4
Recognize numerals 1 to 5 / A, B / 2, 4, 5 / 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 / 4, 7
Count up to three or four objects by saying one number name for each item. / A, B / 1, 18 / 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 / 4, 7
Count actions or objects which cannot be moved / B
Count objects to 10, and beginning to count beyond 10 / A, B / 5 / 3, 4, 6, 7 / 4, 7
Count out up to six objects from a larger group / 13, 14, 15 / 13, 14, 15
Select the correct numeral to Represent 1 to 5, then 1 to 10 objects / A, B / 4, 5, 18 / 4, 5, 6, 7 / 4, 7, 18
Count an irregular arrangement of up to ten objects / A, B / 11 / 6
Estimate how many objects they can see and checks by counting them / A, B / 18 / 5
Use the language of ‘more’ and ‘fewer’ to compare two sets of objects / A / 4, 7, 11, 13, 15, 17, 18 / 7, 11, 17,18 / 7, 10, 17, 18
Find the total number of items in two groups by counting all of them / A / 8, 13, 15 / 8, 13 / 8
Say the number that is one more than a given number / B / 9 / 11 / 7, 11
Find one more or one less from a group of up to five objects, then ten objects / 9, 11 / 9, 11 / 9, 10, 11
In practical activities and discussion, begin to use the vocabulary involved in adding and subtracting / A / 7, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18 / 7, 8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19 / 7, 10, 11, 15, 17, 18
Record, using marks that they can interpret and explain / Covered in all activity groups
Begin to identify own mathematical problems based on own interests and fascinations / A / 10
Number Early Learning Goals
Children can: / Numicon Firm Foundations Activity Group reference
Daily Maths and
Daily Counting Opportunities / All doing maths together / Activities with structured apparatus / Exploring maths all around us
Count reliably with numbers from 1 to 20 / A, B / 6, 10, 19
Place numbers from 1 to 20 in order / 6, 19
Say which number is one more or one less than a given number / B / 11
Using quantities and objects, add and subtract two single-digit numbers and count on or back to find the answer / A / 8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18 / 7, 8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19 / 8, 10, 11, 15, 17, 18
Solve problems, including double halving and sharing / A / 12, 16 / 12, 16 / 12, 14, 16
Shape, space and measures
Early Years Outcomes
30 to 50 months / Numicon Firm Foundations Activity Group reference
Children should be given opportunities to: / Daily Maths and
Daily Counting Opportunities / All doing maths together / Activities with structured apparatus / Exploring maths all around us
Show an interest in shape and space by playing with shapes or making arrangements with objects / 1, 2, 3, 8 / 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, 13
Show awareness of similarities of shapes in the environment / 3, 5, 10
Use positional language / 1, 2 / 3, 6, 14
Show interest in shape by sustained construction activity or by talking about shapes or arrangements / 1, 2, 3, 8 / 2, 3, 4, 5
Show interest in shapes in the environment / 1 / 3, 5, 10
Use shapes appropriately for tasks / 1 / 3, 4, 5, 6, 10
Begin to talk about the shapes of everyday objects, e.g. ‘round’ and ‘tall’ / 1, 5 / 1, 2 / 1, 2, 4, 5, 6
Shape, space and measures
Early Years Outcomes
40 to 60+ months / Numicon Firm Foundations Activity Group reference
Children should be given opportunities to: / Daily Maths and
Daily Counting Opportunities / All doing maths together / Activities with structured apparatus / Exploring maths all around us
Begin to use mathematical names for ‘solid’ 3D shapes and ‘flat’ 2-D shapes, and mathematical terms to describe shapes / 3, 5, 6, 10
Select a particular named shape / 6, 10
Describe their relative position such as ‘behind’ or ‘next to’ / 15 / 2 / 15
Order two or three items by length or height / 2 / 2, 6, 7, 15, 17
Order two items by weight or capacity / 7 / 4, 7, 13
Use familiar objects and common shapes to create and recreate patterns and build models / 1, 3 / 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 13
Use everyday language related to time / 8 / 8
Begin to use everyday language related to money / 9, 18
Order and sequence familiar events / 2 / 4
Measure short periods of time in simple ways / 8
Shape, space and measures
Early Learning Goals
Children can: / Numicon Firm Foundations Activity Group reference
Daily Maths and
Daily Counting Opportunities / All doing maths together / Activities with structured apparatus / Exploring maths all around us
Use everyday language to talk about size, weight, capacity, position, distance, time and money to compare quantities and objects and to solve problems / 15 / 1 / 3, 4, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18
Recognise, create and describe patterns / 1 / 3, 4, 5, 10, 13, 16
Explore characteristics of everyday objects and shapes and use mathematical language to describe them / 3, 4, 5