Children often make collections of natural or found objects, like leaves, stones or pine cones or select from large provided assortments of shells, fabrics or buttons, making subgroups which they arrange in patterns or put into containers. Teachers can build on this by providing ranges of collectable objects and containers for putting them in.
Encourage children to make and arrange collections and talk about their ideas. They may make collections of things from the classroom or bring things in from home.
Sorting and describing collections by mathematical properties such as size, shape and pattern.
Counting and comparing numbers of collections and groups.
size and measures – noticing length, area, weight, capacity
shape – grouping by properties like curved or straight and noticing similarities with other shapes in the environment “like a house, wing, face”
number
noticing amounts increase as more are collected
counting and cardinality - progressing from knowing some number words, to saying one number for each object, then knowing the number of the whole group
relative number size - being able to compare numbers of groups
part –whole numbers – noticing numbers within numbers, for subgroups within collections
using mathematical language about measures such as bigger, fatter, progressing to more specific terms like longer, wider, heavier, holds more
using mathematical language about shapes, using informal vocabulary such as pointy, fat, wiggly, progressing to mathematical terms like straight, round
spotting patterns in shapes eg symmetry
making patterns in arrangements of collections ie arranging according to a rule
You might encourage children to describe how they have sorted and explain their reasoning:
Tell me about your collection…
I wonder why you’ve put all these ones together /these over here and those over there?
You might encourage comparison of size and measures, and model more specific language:
I see you’ve put all the shorter ones together and all the longer ones over here
That box isn’t big enough, can you find one that holds more?
You could encourage children to count and compare:
What a lot you’ve got! I wonder how many there are../how many we could find?
What kind are there most of?
Different approaches and contexts
Child initiated collecting
Outings-children might be stimulated to collect in outdoor environments such as woods or a park.
NB You may need to deter them from picking flowers or collecting unsavoury objects like litter (or ensure they wear gloves )!
Plan to take containers such as bags on outings, so that collections of shells, conkers leaves etc can be brought back.
Observe what children are interested in and supplement collections back in your setting
(I’ve put some of what I thought would go here in the progression bits above)
The children might look for containers to keep or sort their collections into, which provide further opportunities to explore shape and size.
They may put into bags, boxes, baskets, or trays with compartments
They may arrange collections in straight or curved lines and shapes
NB the children may also focus on scientific properties such as colour, texture, materials and function.
You will already have lots of collections of things in your setting. You might provide collections of objects which:
Hide collections in sand, around the setting or outdoor area – or put in water to be ‘caught’ and fished out.
Provide containers of different sizes and shapes, especially with compartments, like printing trays, chocolate boxes, bun or plant trays
Display collections in compartments with labels
Put on light boxes to look at shapes of silhouettes
or between hinged mirrors- collections put between them will appear much bigger!
Provide purposes for sorting and arranging resources for tidying and checking, for creative work or for a shop or role play area