The Maths in Clay

There are so many magical mathematical moments to be found in a simple ball of clay.

All sorts of concepts are introduced and expanded on when children explore clay. Measurement, spacial awareness, sorting and classifying, geometry, addition, subtraction, form, shape and perspective. We know that children are naturally curious, they are inquisitive and authentically move through different stages of knowing and unknowing throughout their play.

Watch as children naturally begin to roll a ball, or a snake. See how they compare the sizes of the balls and snakes. Loose parts are added, and counted, and then taken away. Clay is shared amongst friends and we hear terms like "even", "fair" and "unequal" being tossed around. Clay allows children to move into the realm of three dimensional forms, unlike colouring and painting. See cubes, spheres, triangular prisms and irregular shapes emerge. See how the concept of perspective is discovered and laughed about when children all see something different to one another from different angles.

When we talk about building that strong foundation for mathematical success, we're talking about those beautiful moments found littered throughout playing with a simple ball of clay.