Without actually following a formal teaching programme, there are many things a childcare professional can do to help pre-school children become enthusiastic readers in later years. This is a guide for those professionals, on how to provide experiences which prepare the ground without pushing the child too far before they are ready to read.

How do you start teaching mathematics to pre-school and primary aged children? This is an increasingly important question for early years workers, especially with the introduction of the National Numeracy Framework into primary schools in September 1999. This manual demonstrates how to put learning activities into practice in a mathematical context, and encourage a child's natural curiosity to learn.