The spatial reasoning toolkit: Enhancing children’s early mathematical learning

Case Study

Written by: Sarah McCarthy, Emily Farran and Sue Gifford

Published on: February 26, 2024

Maths

7 min read

SARAH MCCARTHY AND EMILY K FARRAN, SCHOOL OF PSYCHOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF SURREY, UK SUE GIFFORD, SCHOOL OF EDUCATION, UNIVERSITY OF ROEHAMPTON, UK Spatial reasoning – the ability to understand the properties of objects and how they relate to other objects – is important for supporting children’s development of mathematics understanding (Mix et al., 2016). Spatial reasoning can be trained from an early age (Yang et al., 2020), and spatial activities are highly engaging and enjoyable for children, providing an accessible way of teaching mathematics. Despite this research evidence, the early learning goal of ‘shape, space and measures’ has been removed from the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum (DfE, 2021), and the Key Stage 1 curriculum understates spatial reasoning in favour of number-related content (DfE, 2013). Hawes et al. (2023) outline four key reasons why academics believe that spatial reasoning is important for mathematics. Firstly, neural evidence su

Join us or sign in now to view the rest of this page

You're viewing this site as a guest, which only allows you to view a limited amount of content.

To view this page and get access to all our resources, join the Chartered College of Teaching (it's free for trainee teachers and half price for ECTs) or log in if you're already a member.

Department for Education (DfE) (2013) Mathematics programmes of study: Key Stages 1 and 2: National Curriculum in England. Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/335158/PRIMARY_national_curriculum_-_Mathematics_220714.pdf (accessed 7 December 2023).
Department for Education (DfE) (2021) Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1170108/EYFS_framework_from_September_2023.pdf (accessed 7 December 2023).
Drill K, Miller S and Behrstock-Sherratt E (2013) Teachers’ perspectives on educational research. Brock Education Journal, 23(1).
Farran EK, Gilligan-Lee KA, Bates KE et al. (submitted) Translating research to practice: Practitioner use of the spatial reasoning toolkit.
Gifford S, Gripton C, Williams HJ et al. (2022) Spatial reasoning in early childhood. Early Childhood Maths Group. Available at: https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/jnwpu (accessed 7 December 2023).
Gilligan-Lee KA, Hodgkiss A, Thomas MSC et al. (2021) Aged-based differences in spatial language skills from 6 to 10 years: Relations with spatial and mathematics skills. Learning and Instruction. 73: 101417.
Hawes Z, Moss J,Caswell B et al. (2017) Enhancing Children's Spatial and Numerical Skills through a Dynamic Spatial Approach to Early Geometry Instruction: Effects of a 32-Week Intervention. Cognition and Instruction 35(3): 236–264.
Hawes Z and Ansari D (2020) What explains the relationship between spatial and mathematical skills? A review of evidence from brain and behavior. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review 27(3): 465–482.
Hawes ZC, Gilligan-Lee KA and Mix KS (2023) Infusing spatial thinking into elementary and middle school mathematics: What, why, and how? In: Robinson K, Dubé AK, Kotsopoulos D et al. (eds) Mathematical Cognition and Understanding: Perspectives on Mathematical Minds in the Elementary and Middle School Years. Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp.13–33.
Lowrie T and Logan T (2023) Spatial Visualization Supports Students’ Math: Mechanisms for Spatial Transfer. Journal of Intelligence 11(6): 127.
McCarthy S et al. (in prep) The impact and use of the spatial reasoning toolkit.
Mix KS (2010) Spatial tools for mathematical thought. In: Mix KS, Smith LB and Gasser M (eds) Space and Language. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 41–66.
Mix KS, Levine SC, Cheng Y-L et al. (2016) Separate but correlated: The latent structure of space and mathematics across development. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General 145(9): 1206–1227.
Yang W, Liu H, Chen N et al. (2020) Is early spatial skills training effective? A meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology 11: 1938.