How unusual is this maths ability in a 3 year old

[WhyNotMe40]

And what should I do about it (if anything)?
So I knew he could count well - not just reciting numbers but accurately count objects up to about 40 - after which he gets bored.
But we've recently discovered her can do simple sums in his head. He could work out simple addition of single digit numbers with barely a seconds hesitation. He has also replicated this at the childminder's so it's not us subconsciously prompting somehow.
The childminder has also discovered he can say how many tens in twenty, thirty, forty etc.
I don't have much experience with small children but it seems unusual to me. I certainly haven't done any maths work with him or even mathematical games - just the usual Lego, play dough, etc
If I encourage this will it upset his reception teachers in September? Or should I find some maths games? He has always loved numbers and shapes and patterns, but I just thought he could count and that was it!
Any advice?

My DB was like this at 2 too with maths. But he was also an advanced communicator too so you could have a proper conversation with him and it was that plus his being able to read without being taught that got him into the G&T programme — his teacher didn’t really rate the maths skills as gifted as they can be learned. I think she was probably biased in that we’re Indian, and at the time many Asian kids were being coached by their parents in Asian mathematical methods which meant a lot of kids were performing far higher than the Nat Curriculum.

My just turned 4 year old (last week) was like this age 3. She used to like watching number blocks. She could always subtract easier then add but I’m not sure why. She could count up to 100 and in 10s but preferred to go up but not down.

We haven’t really done anything to encourage her actively but we do discuss more advanced things now like fractions (cutting cakes and shape of moon etc) as well as time and clocks. we did also swap up the learning a bit and She’s now learning preschool french so is now learning to add and subtract in french and she is enrolled in piano lessons so she also uses her maths there.

My DS was like this at 3. Instead of a bedtime story he used to like doing sums. He’s 13 now and I am yet to see him voluntarily pick up a book.

He is still pretty good at maths but very lazy. He will calculate stuff in his head but can’t be bothered to write the workings down. Since being in senior school he has enjoyed the challenge (they are doing some GCSE stuff) but has really found his niche with coding.

He seemed exceptional at 3 but I wouldn’t say he is at 13. I would describe him as capable at maths but sadly his work ethic is pretty poor. I wish he put the same effort into school work as he does gaming...

I don’t think I did anything to challenge him. As I said, he has never voluntarily picked up a book and his handwriting has always been poor, so I tended to focus on trying to find ways to get him to read. I found some success with non fiction.

My dd was like that. In the reception parents evening they told me she could count to 20. I replied she was doing that at 18 months, but the teacher said 20 was all that was expected in reception.

Fast forward a few years. She has a masters degree in maths snd is a secondary school maths teacher now.

I was going to ask does he watch Numberblocks? My 4yo has picked up so much from this, all his Number bonds and what's a 'super square' etc. Even quite complex addition but it's all from that show I'm sure!!

OP I don't think it's fair to say 'the consensus is don't encourage it' You've been given lots of ideas for ways to encourage it!

He sounds like he's got a very keen interest and ability in maths, it's great to encourage that! You could look for local clubs when he's older, if he still loves it, and aim for a school where different abilities are catered for and not ignored. I think at 3, what you'd do is make available lots of activities and toys that stimulate that interest, as suggested above.

My DD loves numbers and begs for maths work sheets, nothing pushy about supplying them when they're interested!

www.kiwico.com/diy/Arts-and-Crafts-Projects/1/project/Lego-Puzzle-Cards/378

www.funathomewithkids.com/2014/06/diy-portable-lego-kit-with-free.html

Both for Lego ^^ activities.

images.app.goo.gl/5D1Cjo1tNqbDVua6A
Tangram puzzle picture here. You get a set of seven tiles and have to recreate the image on a card using all seven.

www.unitednow.com/thinkfun-izzi-puzzle?offer=SUNNY&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIiZn62PG75gIVhobACh2I1QvaEAQYAyABEgKZF_D_BwE
Izzi Tile game.

Cuisenaire rods:
www.hand2mind.com/resources/glossary-of-hands-on-manipulatives/cuisenaire-rods
This is a good site for resources.

Dominoes are fun too.

Does he use scissors at all?

Safety scissors and a purpose like cutting coupons out of the Sunday supplement can keep a child occupied and develop fine motor skills. You would have to supervise closely though.

www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/STEM-Challenge-Build-Toothpick-Structures-2712959
Toothpicks and blutack.

Marble runs are fun too.

DH was like this when younger and now has a maths PhD but he's dyslexic so cannot spell or read particularly well. Knowing where his strengths lie really helped during school though

He sounds a bit like my nephew, he was always into numbers and mechanical things, he used to put his sister's pram on its side and spin the wheels.

He has a degree in physics now.

Have you come across the game Mancala? You move stones or beads from 'pots' and capture your opponents, normally I wouldn't think of it for a 3/4 year old but might be a good idea because it combines numbers and fine motor skills.

Lots more activities to look into - thanks

Yes he uses scissors really well, he loves chopping up paper into tiny pieces. He also loves dominos and marble runs although he has to be watched with the marbles as he sometimes puts them.in his mouth, so one of his Christmas presents is actually a giant set with a giant ball.
He was totally obsessed with Domino runs for about a year and we had to set up all sizes of runs including cereal boxes etc.
I am slightly nconcerned about autistic traits I must admit , but we will see with that. He certainly has problems with busy noisy places and won't do parties or toddler groups, but then I don't like them either!
The toothpick models look great and the tangrams. I reckon I could cobble something together at home like those before I go buy them.

And yes he's always spinning wheels on things

Here’s the M-CHAT test if you feel like doing it: m-chat.org/

What I will say is please don’t worry too much about the possibility of autism. I spent a long time in turmoil, seeing all these possible traits and wondering what it all meant. My son is 4.5 now, and although he has his struggles (mainly with social things) he is funny and loving and has friends and amazes me with his quirky brain on a daily basis.

If he is gifted in Maths then when he is older, it is worth getting him to work on those areas that he struggles with to encourage the work ethic.

A friends boy was like this, found maths easy and as a result never had to work hard, as a result secondary school is a challenge as can't just focus on Maths until he starts a degree.
He also labels other subjects as boring or useless which isn't a good attitude. His mum regrets the focus he was allowed to give Maths in primary years.

Numberblocks is brilliant. It is devised by a bigwig from the NCETM and mathematically sound. I was amazed how quickly my DC learned doubles and tens from that.

Straws might be safer than toothpicks, come to think of it, and they come in different colours too. You can cut straws to different lengths as well, meaning they can be used for construction of lots more than the basic shapes.

I echo the advice to keep the rest of the academic picture current. It's as easy for boys to be swept into a maths stream and allowed to ignore language arts as it is for girls to be swept into the language arts area and allowed to put in only a minimal effort in primary school arithmetic, which leads to lack of comfort and enthusiasm when actual mathematics kick in in secondary.

You should google suggestions of reading material for boys who don't like reading, and make sure you read and chat about books together.

You can also chat about TV shows, movies.
Talk about why you each like or dislike shows, foods, colours, different seasons, etc.

Make sure you throw in long words, challenge him verbally, and constantly expand his vocabulary horizons.

And always notice and mention effort as opposed to result of work.

I haven't read all the replies but I'm a Reception Teacher and yes this is definitely above age related expections (don't listen to those who say it's average ). He also will not get bored at school as his teacher should be able to differentiate accordingly for him.

It sounds like he has may be seen numberblocks in the past? If not this is definitely something you could do together. You can also buy the characters (little cubes that fit together) for him to play with and practise his sums.

If he has a passion for numbers then go with it and extend him. Why would you stifle it? You can easily use numbers to work on other areas he may need more work on. I.e can he make 3 balls out of play dough? Can you make me 4 more? How many do you have now? How do you know? Etc

Ooh looks like I missed a few replies from when I last checked!
Yes he used to watch number blocks every Saturday while waiting for his siblings' swimming lessons to finish - I used to download a few cbeebies programs for him and he went through a phase of number blocks.
Since I started this thread he has started noticing whether house numbers are doubles or not so we talked about odd and even numbers, and he's now pretty good at that. He's also since I last posted here started talking about how eg 27 is 2 tens and 7 "singles" (his word) which is why it is 27 not 72.
He does not like me quizzing him however, and he definitely does not like being made to show off his ability - he's already picked up on people's reactions and will now give definitely wrong answers if it's someone he doesn't know.... And that's recent as well.
I will give the play dough a go - that sounds a good idea thanks :)

Oh and thanks Mathanxiety - and yes I do try to praise effort rather than results - can't say I'm perfect on that though!

Dd2 was/is the same. From 4 she was correcting her 3 years older sister who admittedly is pretty terrible at maths. I can't say I've done anything. School have identified she's ahead in maths and she works at an appropriate level. I'm not interested in hot housing her or anything. At 3 I just followed her lead

He sounds lovely and it’s great to hear he is interested.
I’ve been an infant teacher for nearly forty years, newly retired and always was delighted by children who showed such interest in a particular area, be it numbers, words, singing, colouring, catching balls or whatever.
My own three were really numerate at an early age and absolutely loved playing any games that involved calculations, dominoes, cards and especially darts! The youngest was ten years younger and was quickly taught how to double, treble and subtract from 501 if he wanted to play with his older brothers.
Enjoy and be proud of his skills.
Random number facts as well as predictable patterns are useful to know.
If you get him understanding the concept of “ the ( numerical) difference between “ 2 numbers you will be loved by any infant teacher as it is so difficult to grasp!
Use egg boxes, baking trays, Lego bricks to show him how number patterns can “ be turned around” eg multiplication in any order is same result.
Play dice games so that he can recognise the pattern of the dots instantly without counting them every time.
Play bingo
Let him empty your purse and play with/ sort/ count real money.
Have fun!

My son loves the Usborne wipe clean dot-to-dot books. They only go up to 10 (sometimes multiple times on a picture, in different colours) but it really encouraged his fine motor skills while dealing with numbers which he was happier with.

He also enjoys baking with us. We tell him the weight required on an ingredient, and tell him which numbers it is made up of if necessary, then get him to spoon the ingredients into a bowl on the scales

He's also obsessed with watching and reading the numbers on the sat nav when we're driving

Bingo is one of his favourite games, but he's a very bad loser!

Ah bless him! Yes I’d forgotten about baking, that’s fabulous for weight, ratio, time etc.
Does he like playing with a calculator?
Using a timer?