Minor Changes, Big Differences?
Effects of Manipulating Play Materials on Parental Math Talk
Lu, L., Vasilyeva, M., & Laski, E. V. (2023). Minor changes, big differences? Effects of manipulating play materials on parental math talk. Developmental Psychology.
Authors:
Linxi Lu, Marina Vasilyeva, and Elida V. Laski
PUBLISHED IN:
PRESENTED AT:
SRCD 2023 Biennial Meeting
Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
AERA 2023 Annual Meeting
Chicago, Illinois, USA
(PDF)
Project description
Parent math talk is crucial for children’s early math development. Previous ways to increase parent math talk typically include extensive training or heavy intervention. The paper investigated one possible alternative: to increase the amount and diversity of parent math talk by modifying the toy materials used in the pretend play activities.
The study suggests that small changes in the features of play materials, such as including sets of identical toys, may increase the quantity and quality of parental math talk in play interactions with preschoolers. It also shows that parental math talk is affected by the context of pretend play. These findings point to opportunities for increasing parental math talk without intensive training or explicit instructions.
Fun fact: Linxi’s son also participated in this study!