Looking for fun ways to introduce maths to your little ones? Books that explore these ideas, like shapes, counting and size can be brilliant ways to help your child get to grips with early maths skills.
Maths is an essential part of our daily lives. It makes our computers work. It helps us tell the time, buy our shopping, know how much we can fill the kettle, and lots, lots more.
But when it comes to introducing children to the world of maths, it can be difficult to know where to start. Counting? Shapes? Size? Weight? All of the above? Well, if asking your toddler to count out 100 shapes and sort them by size and weight sounds a little daunting, we’re here to help.
We’ve curated a list of our best maths-inspired picture books which help children learn about those important early maths skills in a gentle way. Think heartwarming stories, heaps of humour and a cast of vibrant characters that presents maths information in a subtle, age appropriate and easy-to-digest way.
Fun books with maths concepts
Please note that all links will take you to Amazon.co.uk
Maths Words for Little People: Counting
Helen Mortimer / Cristina Trapanese
Suitable 2+
Using carefully chosen words in relatable settings from the world around them, this book creates a moment for children and adults to discover first counting words at a pizza party.
The engaging art style, fun characters and hardback picture book feel make this series accessible and perfect to share.
Maths Words for Little People: Sorting
Helen Mortimer / Cristina Trapanese
Suitable 2+
This book creates a moment for children and adults to discover first sorting words through dressing up and having fun.
Written and illustrated by the same winning team as ‘Big Words for Little People’, this series is special not only because it focuses on maths in a child-friendly way, but also because it’s from Oxford, it’s packed with educational goodness that helps children develop and grow.
One More Try
Naomi Jones / James Jones
Suitable 2+
Circle loves the tower that the squares and hexagons have built and wants to make his own.
But circles, diamonds and triangles are pointier, rounder and much wobblier – making a tower is not as easy as it looks! The shapes try and try but their tower just keeps tumbling down. Can Circle persuade them to have just one more try?
Martha Maps it Out
Leigh Hodgkinson
Suitable 2+
Martha LOVES drawing maps. She creates maps of everything-even her thoughts and dreams! Let Martha be your guide as she welcomes you to her world. Starting in outer space, we zoom in page by page, to our planet, Martha’s community, and beyond to her dreams of a future where ANYTHING is possible.
Full of quirky details and fun non-fiction labels that children will love poring over-they will discover cool new facts with every reading.
Too Heavy Elephant
Tony Neal
Suitable 2+
Elephant is too heavy to play with Mouse on the seesaw. Their friends can help, but will it be enough to get Elephant’s feet off the ground? A great deal (of Elephant) hangs in the balance in this hilarious introduction to the maths concept of weight.
With engaging artwork and a very funny story, readers won’t even realize that they’re learning something while they laugh along with the animal friends!
The Perfect Fit
Naomi Jones / James Jones
Suitable 2+
No matter how hard she tries, Triangle doesn’t roll like the circles, or stack like the squares…so she sets off to find friends that look exactly like her. But when she finds the other triangles, playtime isn’t as fun. She misses the shapes that roll and stack; she misses being different. So she starts a new quest, one that gets all of the different shapes playing and having fun together!
Hop on Top Mouse
Tony Neal
Suitable 2+
Mouse is hungry, but that tasty cake is just too high! Is it a stretch too far, or will Mouse find his way to the top?
It’s a big problem for a small mouse in this hilarious introduction to the maths concept of height.
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