Children start learning from the day they are born. Each day babies and young children learn new skills they will use as they grow. Parents are right there from the start, helping their children learn.

The opportunity for learning exists from day one. Nearly all of the billions of nerve cells that made up the mature brain are created before birth. Early on, the brain is continuously “wiring itself” as it produces an abundance of specialized nerve cell connections and pathways. The child’s early experiences strongly influence this wiring process, which in turn affects the child’s ability to learn.

Children raised in cultures with high expectations for math consistently out-perform their peers in cultures where excellence in math is optional. A “math-friendly” culture is one that views math as fun, friendly, important, a source of curiosity, and useful in everyday life.

Parents begin to nurture a culture of math at home by giving their child ample opportunity to explore and make decisions in an exciting and meaningful context.

Parents, side-by-side with their child in block play, model positive dispositions toward math and learning such as playfulness, curiosity, creativity, and problem solving. They are taking the first steps in creating their own math-friendly, math successful culture at home.