Notice and Recognise

Progress examples to help you notice & recognise a child’s progress.

Use the phases of progress (outlined below) to help you notice and recognise a child’s progress.

Children enjoy number-rich experiences including sharing stories, rhymes and waiata. With support, they notice and recognise number patterns such as pairs of objects in everyday routines and experiences.
Children begin to recognise and respond to language, gestures and images related to number, number patterns and quantities.
Children notice arrangements of small groups of objects and playfully rearrange these.
Children notice and respond to changes in quantities during sand and water play etc.

Children playfully join in number-rich experiences including sharing stories, rhymes and waiata. They recognise the way number patterns such as pairs of objects are used to make sense of, and organise things, in everyday routines and experiences.
Children begin to use language for comparing objects and quantities, using words such as ‘more’, ‘same’ and phrases. They enjoy playing with number names and may repeat number sequences used in stories and routines or invent their own.
Children explore combining and dividing objects for a purpose.
Children explore how they can transform quantities, including dividing, adding, and changing the size and shape using resources such as playdough, sand, and water.

Children predict and describe number patterns in stories, rhymes and waiata, and may create their own. They estimate or count during everyday experiences and routines.
Children enjoy using the language of numbers, counting and repetition and continue to be playful with number names. Children create ways to draw small quantities using pictures, tally marks or number symbols. They investigate how number symbols are used in everyday routines and experiences.
Children begin to recognise patterns of small numbers of objects such as the difference between two and three dots on a dice or dominoes. They compare groups of objects using strategies such as arranging in lines, sharing them out equally, and use number symbols in their play.
Children use descriptive language to articulate comparisons such as ‘nearly the same’, ‘heaps more’. They explore and describe combining and dividing different quantities by length or volume, using language such as half, less, more, double.

Children are playful and innovative using numbers and number patterns. They count for a purpose during play or in response to a question such as ‘how many?’, or ‘is there enough?’, matching number to amount or quantity. Children enjoy purposeful estimation and comparison such as working out how objects can be shared fairly.
Children enjoy and confidently use mathematical language to count, estimate, predict and measure as part of play, everyday routines and experiences. They ask questions relating to number and number patterns. They support others to use numbers such as counting-in to start waiata, counting pairs, counting forwards and backwards for fun.
Children group small numbers of objects such as pairs or groups of five to calculate ‘how many?’ They begin to recognise familiar patterns of objects and, for small numbers, identify how many without counting (subitising). Children create different ways of combining two groups, such as matching or stacking to calculate, compare, and check.
Children understand that measuring quantities is useful or necessary in particular activities such as cooking, or sharing resources fairly. They use informal (string, ‘giant steps’) and formal (a cup, tape measure) methods for measuring. They invite and support others in measurement activities.