Young Children’s Amazing Math

Explore young children's remarkable everyday math that can lay the groundwork for formal math education in kindergarten and beyond.

Readers will learn how math is embedded in children’s everyday lives, how daily routines contribute to the development of important math concepts, and what adults can do to foster the joy of early math learning. Ginsburg describes the development of children’s informal ideas about number, shape, space, pattern, and measurement, and offers many specific activities designed to promote learning.

This dynamic resource provides over 75 short videos showing individual children, from 9 months to 6 years, engaging in spontaneous everyday math activities or talking with an adult about their thinking. Fascinating and often funny, the videos help adults understand the child’s everyday math so they can support meaningful math education. Readers and watchers of the videos are encouraged to think deeply about young children’s everyday math and how they can foster it at home, in early learning programs, and at school.

Young Children's Amazing Math shows how everyday math can be fun for both children and adults. Enjoy it with the children!

Book Features:

• An examination of young children’s everyday math, much of which is universal, despite differences across gender, socioeconomic status, and culture.
• An exploration of how understanding children’s everyday math can lay the foundation for teaching school math.
• The first book to make extensive use of videos to tell “thinking stories” about young children engaged in everyday math.
• Videos will help adults, including early childhood education students, professional educators, and parents, to understand that math learning can be enjoyable and is not to be feared or avoided in the early years and beyond.
• Numerous activities that teachers, day care providers, and parents can use to promote the development of children’s everyday math.
• Available in print with embedded QR codes for video access, as well as in a digital version.

Herbert P. Ginsburg is the Jacob H. Schiff Foundation Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University.

“I am delighted that Herb Ginsburg has brought together his many years of study and experience related to children’s mathematical thinking to share in this extraordinary book. . . . It is for parents, educators, grandparents—anyone who cares for young children.”
—From the Foreword by Deborah Stipek, Judy Koch Emeritus Professor of Education, Stanford University

"Young Children’s Amazing Math brings everyday math to life through engaging ​'thinking stories​' that showcase how children reason ​with numbers, shapes, patterns, and more in everyday situations. With clear insights and over 75 engaging videos, Ginsburg offers a fresh perspective on how adults can support a child’s early math learning with joy and curiosity.​"
—Toni Galassini​, professional learning specialist, Office of Early Childhood Education, Chicago Public Schools

“In Young Children's Amazing Math, Ginsburg skillfully combines complex concepts with real-world examples to create an engaging and accessible exploration of how young children develop early math skills through everyday activities. The book's unique ‘thinking stories’ take readers on a journey of discovery, revealing how children reason about everyday math and illustrating how adults can become active observers to uncover the how and the why behind children’s behaviors. Accompanied by videos that bring these discoveries to life, the book shows how everyday math can be fun for both children and adults. This book is a must-read for anyone passionate about nurturing children’s mathematical development.”
—Gigliana Melzi, professor of applied psychology, NYU Steinhardt

“As an early childhood education researcher and nonprofit leader, I know the transformative power of understanding how young children think and learn. Herb Ginsburg’s Young Children’s Amazing Math is a game-changer for anyone invested in fostering early math skills in meaningful, joyful ways. Through rich stories and video examples, this book reveals the complex (and often surprising) ways young children engage with everyday math concepts like counting, spatial relationships, and patterns, even as they build with blocks or sort snacks. Herb doesn’t just celebrate children’s curiosity; he equips parents, educators, and caregivers with the insights and tools to meet kids where they are, supporting their growth with respect and wonder. This book is a must-read for those who believe in the brilliance of every child’s mind . . . which, really, is all of us!”
—Savitha Moorthy, executive director, Tandem, Partners in Early Learning

“Through its use of ‘thinking stories,’ Ginsburg provides beautifully informative and rich lessons on children’s mathematical thinking, bringing us into the lives and learning of individual children as they grow. In doing so, this book provides inspiration and a critical resource for us all—parents, early education experts, teachers, family-facing professionals, and researchers—to begin thinking more critically and carefully about children’s thinking.”
—Eric Dearing, executive director, Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College