Session 4 - Play counts: Playful pathways in mathematics

Play Counts: playful pathways in mathematics Dr Alison Borthwick 11 March 2026 09:00 to 10:00 UTC

“Early years pedagogy should be playbased, developmentally age-appropriate and child-centred, and should include both child-initiated and adult-led practice.”

“Focus on providing playful learning opportunities, including activities where children have control over their play.”

Reflect…

When were you last playful?​ ​ What made the event/activity playful?​ ​ What does active playful learning mean ​ to you?

“Mathematics could be like ​ roller-skating, but usually it is like being told to stop roller-skating and come in and tidy your room” Winter, R. (1992) ‘Mathophobia’, Pythagoras and roller-skating.

In: N.Nickson and S. Lerman (eds) The Social Context of Mathematics Education: Theory and Practice: London: Southbank Press​

Complete the sentence

Children are being playful in mathematics when...

How do children learn best?

Independent

Motivated

Making decisions Self-regulation

Thinking

Curious Engaged Creative

Making sense

Characteristics of being playful!

So, what does being playful in mathematics look like?

Play vs playful Version 1 Line up some coins and ask children to count them.

Version 2 Having a pile of coins and saying: I wonder how we might count these coins?​ ​

Version 1 Teaching children the rules to a game.

Version 2 Inviting children to invent a game.

Dotty Maths!

Quickly create a set of nine small square cards. ​ You could use nine sticky notes.​ ​ • On three cards draw one dot​ • On three cards draw two dots.​ • On three cards draw three dots.​ • What do you notice?​ • Can you sort all nine cards?​ • Close your eyes, remove a card. Which one is missing?​ • Arrange the nine cards into an array. How many dots in this row/column?

Using stories to prompt playful pathways Panda has taken all the treasure, 20 golden coins. ​ Cat, Dog and Rabbit jump about excitedly: “Can we have some too?!”​ ​“No! No! No!” says Panda.​ Can the children suggest what Panda ought to do?

Using stories as a context to prompt playful pathways

Your turn!

Make up a mathematical game using some or all of them.

Playful prompts in mathematics • Can you convince me?​ ​ • What is your conjecture?​ ​ • How do you know?

How can we enable playful pathways in mathematics?

• Teaching activity​ • Guided Play​​ • Continuous provision

‘Mathematising’ the environment Counting corner​ ​

Block play zone​ ​

Mathematical manipulatives ​

Estimation station​ ​

Voting station​ ​

Number den

Playful pathways will…

• raise a generation of confident mathematical thinkers.​ ​ • show children there is more than one way to solve a problem.​ ​ • allow children to take the tasks in a different way than we had planned.​ ​ • give children the time and space to play with concepts.

The Builder’s Yard

References • Pattern Fish by Trudi Harris – video Pattern Fish • The Builder's Yard – video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_mwqo7UMEA

Thank you!

cambridge.org/internationaleducation

© Cambridge University Press & Assessment 2023 © Cambridge University Press & Assessment 2021

Next steps Getting started with play-based learning in early years https://cambrid.ge/play-based-learning-getting-started How role play encourages conversation and brings in mathematics and writing opportunities https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Yb8jJpm-k8

Explore Cambridge Early Years​ www.cambridgeinternational.org/earlyyears