Exposure to number talk in infancy predicts later mathematic skills

Children's early experiences with math language, including exposure to number words, varies substantially. Variability among children in number word exposure may relate to the development of early math skills. We explored mothers' use of number words with their 1- and 2-year-olds longitudinally, and tested associations to children's mathematics and pre-literacy skills in preschool. Participants were mother-child dyads from US Dominican (n = 71), Mexican (n = 66), and African American (n = 64) households. Differences among mothers in the use of number words with their infants were substantial, stable over time, and predicted children's math skills at 4 years, but not pre-literacy skills. Exposure to number words in infancy lays an important foundation for math skill development.

Differences in children's very early language environments may have downstream effects on school readiness skills. Here, we find that individual differences in exposure to number language (e.g., "one, two, three"; "four cookies") as young as 14 months predicts individual differences children's math skills in preschool. This holds across to racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse dyads, and highlights the importance of caregivers talking about number during everyday activities, even before their children can produce or understand the meaning of such words.