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Open AccessArticle
Supporting Pre-School Children’s Number Learning Through Embodied Representation
by
Jennifer Way
Jennifer Way 1,*
and
Katherin Cartwright
Katherin Cartwright 2
1
Sydney School of Education and Social Work, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
2
School of Education, Faculty of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Educ. Sci. 2025, 15(9), 1170; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15091170 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 2 August 2025
/
Revised: 28 August 2025
/
Accepted: 5 September 2025
/
Published: 7 September 2025
Abstract
Situated within the Embodied Learning in Early Mathematics and Science project in Australia, this paper explores the relationships between ‘embodied activities’ used by a preschool teacher and the children’s development of number sense over six months. Using an instrumental case study approach, qualitative data from multiple sources including self-reported data from the teacher, activity descriptions, two task-based interviews with nine children, and number-knowledge data extracted from a mathematics achievement assessment (pretest and post-test) was analysed. Pattern searching techniques across text and video revealed connections between the embodied activities implemented by the teacher and the children’s development of subitizing and counting skills, mathematical drawing, and number magnitude knowledge. We propose that attending to specific aspects of children’s physical development, particularly finger dexterity and drawing skills, in experiences that focus on representing number concepts, can support their development of number sense.
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MDPI and ACS Style
Way, J.; Cartwright, K.
Supporting Pre-School Children’s Number Learning Through Embodied Representation. Educ. Sci. 2025, 15, 1170.
https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15091170
AMA Style
Way J, Cartwright K.
Supporting Pre-School Children’s Number Learning Through Embodied Representation. Education Sciences. 2025; 15(9):1170.
https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15091170
Chicago/Turabian Style
Way, Jennifer, and Katherin Cartwright.
2025. "Supporting Pre-School Children’s Number Learning Through Embodied Representation" Education Sciences 15, no. 9: 1170.
https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15091170
APA Style
Way, J., & Cartwright, K.
(2025). Supporting Pre-School Children’s Number Learning Through Embodied Representation. Education Sciences, 15(9), 1170.
https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15091170
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