Preschoolers Inability to Estimate Quantity Relates to Later Math Difficulty

Preschool children who showed less ability to estimate the number of objects in a group were 2.4 times more likely to have a later mathematical learning disability than other young people, according to a team of University of Missouri psychologists.

Parents may be able to help their children develop their skills at approximating group sizes by emphasizing numerals while interacting with young children.

“Lacking skill at estimating group size may impede a child’s ability to learn the concept of how numerals symbolize quantities and how those quantities relate to each other,” said study co-author David Geary, professor of psychological sciences at MU.

“Not understanding the values numbers symbolize then leads to difficulties in math and problems in school, which our previous studies suggest may be related to later difficulties with employment.”

Kirtland Peterson

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