How Toddlers’ Everyday Interactions at Home Support Emerging Math Cognition

Young children begin learning math long before they enter school. Between ages 1 and 3, toddlers develop early understandings of number, shape, size, and location through everyday conversations and interacting with materials in their home environment. But not all children are exposed to the same math talk and objects, and early differences in home experiences may contribute to later gaps in math achievement. This project explores how toddlers' daily interactions with caregivers--including the language they hear and the objects they use--support early math development. It also addresses a longstanding scientific debate concerning the role of language, if any, in shaping cognition. By comparing toddlers whose home languages are either English or Mandarin--two languages that express math ideas in dramatically different ways--this study also offers a rare opportunity to investigate how language structure might influence the formation of early math concepts. Results from this project will lead to a better understanding of sources of individual differences in early math cognition that are foundational for later math achievement.

To address key gaps in the understanding of early math learning, this project examines how math-related language and home environments shape toddlers' math-related conceptual development across two linguistically distinct populations. Researchers will video-record English- and Mandarin-speaking toddlers (ages 18 to 30 months) and their caregivers during naturalistic and structured play at home. Fine-grained video analysis will capture the frequency, form, and function of caregiver math language, and the types of activities and objects associated with math talk. Complementary assessments of the physical home environment--using video walkthroughs and 3D renderings--will quantify math-related materials such as books, toys, and puzzles. Toddlers' comprehension and production of math-related vocabulary will be measured through parent report, observational coding, and novel direct assessments. By linking linguistic input, environmental supports, and individual differences in toddler math cognition, this project will yield new insights into early conceptual development and the relation between language and thought. All video data and procedures will be shared through Databrary, a secure research video repository, supporting transparency and enabling broader scientific inquiry in the future.

This project is supported by NSF's EDU Core Research (ECR) program. The ECR program emphasizes fundamental STEM education research that generates foundational knowledge in the field. Investments are made in critical areas that are essential, broad and enduring: STEM learning and STEM learning environments, broadening participation in STEM, and STEM workforce development.

This project is also supported by the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program, which seeks to advance new approaches to, and evidence-based understanding of, the design and development of STEM learning in informal environments. This includes providing everyone multiple pathways for accessing and engaging in STEM learning experiences.