National Institute 2026

Yes, you heard right - math, it's for babies! Early math is one of the strongest predictors of later school achievement and research has demonstrated that we can start supporting children's math development from day one. Babies and toddlers need repeated exposure to early math precursors (attribute, comparison, change, and patterns) in order to support their later mastery of early math competencies at the preschool level, making early math something that you can do in your baby and toddler storytimes to better support your community's school readiness efforts. 

In this session, we will explore findings from a recent study on early math exposure at public library storytimes for babies and toddlers and help you identify a variety of ways you can easily incorporate different early math precursors into your library programs for very young children. We'll also explore interactive, playful strategies to engage babies, toddlers, and their caregivers with these early math precursors while also fostering a growth mindset. You'll walk away with tools for advocating for early math in infancy and better understand how early math precursors are approachable for everyone through interactive discussions and moments of self-reflection.