Early Years

Careful! After this, you’ll see math in every story you read

04/04/2025|4 min read

Careful! After this, you’ll see math in every story you read

Today I want to talk to you about something I love: stories. In Early Childhood Education, stories have an incredibly powerful ability to connect with children, sparking their imagination, and even teaching math in a fun, natural way! 📚✨

This is how you can introduce stories into your math classroom

We often associate math exclusively with numbers and operations, when, in reality, it’s everywhere: in games, in nature, and—without a doubt—in stories, too. Sometimes, stories teach us mathematical concepts even though they weren’t originally written with that purpose in mind. Just read them through a different lens!

Take “Little Red Riding Hood,” for instance. It introduces concepts such as time sequences—when Little Red Riding Hood talks to her mom, when she leaves the house, when she encounters the wolf, etc.—and distance— “What is the shortest way to get to her grandma’s house?”— while also providing a great opportunity to practice counting the characters that appear.

Stories to explore math in early childhood education

That said, there are also stories and picture books originally created to introduce mathematical ideas while keeping the magic alive. Here’s an example of one that introduces geometry content:

In the workshop “Discovering Triangles,” students explore and build triangles after reading “The Friendship Triangles.” Through this story, they make various discoveries: triangles, sides, vertices, open and closed shapes, among others.

After reading the story, it’s time to get to work: students manipulate segments of different colors and lengths, classify them, and experiment to form different triangles and make connections with the story.

Some students may even discover independently that not all combinations of segments work. This, in turn, introduces the concept of triangular inequality in a natural, experience-based way.

And how about you? I’d love to know what other stories and picture books you know to practice math.

Let me know!

Big hug,

Judith

Judith’s Letters

Are you passionate about early childhood education and eager to support little ones in their journey through the world of mathematics?

Each month, I write a letter specially crafted for teachers like you—who embrace the classroom with both excitement and challenges ✨.

I send it personally by email, filled with ideas, resources, and reflections to support you in teaching math in early childhood with meaning and warmth.
Many teachers are already receiving them—and in fact, they inspire me with everything they share. It’s a living exchange, where we all keep learning 💜.

If you’d like to receive these letters, just click here and they’ll arrive in your inbox each month.