– According to a study from Purdue University, teaching preschoolers math words and concepts like “fewer”, “some”, “more” and “a lot” help them develop better math abilities. “We found that when children were read stories with age-appropriate mathematical language and pictures, and then discussed these specific concepts in small groups, they scored higher on math tests for not just these specific words, but also math skills that were not covered in the books,” said David Purpura, an assistant professor.

– Math language knowledge being a strong predictor of children’s early math success, the researchers wanted to know how effective early exposure to it could be for 3 to 5-year-old children. Preschoolers able to understand the difference between “before” and “after” are more likely capable to tell which number comes after three, for example. It’s indeed difficult for anybody to compare quantities if they don’t know what simple words such as “more” or “fewer” mean.

An armillary sphere in a painting by Sandro Botticelli (Wikipedia)

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