The concept of symmetry can be confusing for young minds. It is great idea to start with familiar objects that are naturally symmetrical. Randomly decorate one butterfly wing then challenge your child to match the pattern on the other wing. 

Play dough activities for early years maths helps to combine sensory activities, fine motor skills and number work which is a great way of bringing numbers to life.

The key question when teaching subtraction is “how many are left?”.

Use math word problems to bring maths to life and give meaning to concepts that can otherwise be confusing. Use real life objects (manipulatives) to explore the problems in an active, hands-on and engaging way. Stuffed animals make great manipulatives for learning maths. 

2D velcro shapes are easy and fun to make. Lolly sticks are a great resources to use when experimenting with shape. 

Food trays with three (or more) compartments are very useful for addition! Use the separate compartments to sort objects into the numbers to be added. 

Cheerios have so many uses. When you're not eating them, you can use them for learning! Counting and estimating are important skills practised in this activity.