Young children’s mathematical learning opportunities in family shopping experiences

This article reports on a qualitative pilot study which documented the ways in which young children and their families notice, explore, and talk about mathematical concepts and processes as they participate in family shopping experiences. Six families, with children ranging from 12 months to 10 years, were video- and audio-recorded whilst shopping at 1 of 2 large retailers. The data reveal that young children and their families notice, explore, and talk about a great deal of implicit and explicit mathematics whilst shopping together. All of the children displayed instances of mathematical noticing, with the children ‘marking’ what they had noticed in both verbal and non-verbal forms. Furthermore, all six families explored and talked about what was noticed whilst shopping together. This study contributes new knowledge about the ways in which children and families interact with mathematics in community contexts.