Enhancing Swedish Toddlers’ Learning Opportunities Through Interactions with Pictures and Narrative Designed for Numerical Learning Purposes

This study investigates how kindergarten teachers can use different representations, such as pictures and narratives, to promote mathematical learning in young children aged 1 to 3 years. The research question is: What is possible to learn about numbers, and how does the teacher facilitate this learning process through their actions?

The study identified three main types of learning opportunities that occurred when teachers used the picture book with the children: identifying numbers, comparing numbers, and operating with numbers. The study shows how teachers’ use of pictures, gestures, symbols, and concrete materials gradually facilitated these learning opportunities. The findings partially answer the study’s research questions by showing what is possible to learn about numbers through these types of reading activities. However, the study does not provide a clear answer on how this learning is facilitated through the teacher’s actions. This is because the study focuses on learning opportunities that arise, and not on the children’s actual learning. Therefore, the study cannot conclude whether the children actually learned anything about numbers through the activities, or which learning strategies were most effective. However, the study provides valuable insight into how teachers can use representations to promote mathematical understanding in young children.

The study used a qualitative longitudinal design with observation as a data collection method. The sample consisted of 27 children aged 1–3 years old from three Swedish kindergartens. The children came from similar suburban areas and constituted a heterogeneous group with regard to language and socioeconomic background. The data collection took place over three semesters and included video recordings of reading sessions in which a specially designed picture book focusing on numbers was used. In addition, there was close collaboration between researchers and three kindergarten teachers in the design of the teaching programme.

Björklund, C., & Palmér, H. (2023). Enhancing Swedish Toddlers’ Learning Opportunities Through Interactions with Pictures and Narrative Designed for Numerical Learning Purposes. Early Childhood Education Journal, 1–12.