MCLS 2023

Our talk was the third presentation of a symposium chaired by Carolina Jiménez-Lira, Early math and motor skills: Evidence from around the world.

The development of early math skills involves a multiplicity of factors, specifically, motor skills, the use of fingers when counting and manual dexterity are aspects that have recently received much attention in relation to children’s mathematical performance. This symposium integrates four studies conducted by recognized researchers, early career academics and doctoral students that analyze this association through correlational, longitudinal and experimental research methods. The studies, conducted in Mexico, South Africa, Switzerland and France bring together a wealth of evidence on the association between early maths, fine- 200 and perceptual-motor skills and of how finger use evolves and enhances children’s ability to solve arithmetic problems. The first presentation examines the relationship between early math skills and gross, fine, and perceptual motor skills in Mexican three-to-five-year-old children. The second presentation analyzes three-to-five-year-old South African children’s motor skills, information about caregivers’ education, household socio-economic status and whether the child had started early childhood education and care as predictors of numeracy skills. The third presentation focuses on how finger counting influences arithmetic problem solving in five-toeight-year-old children. The study compared performance in children’s ability to solve mental addition problems across three conditions: spontaneous finger use, no finger use and finger use. Finally, the fourth presentation shows the results of a longitudinal study that followed children across one year beginning at age 4.5. Researchers observed children’s use of fingers while performing calculation across three measurement points.