Early Numeracy in 3- to 4-Year-Old Children: The Role of Family Variables, Child’s Gender, and Language Skills

Research on early numeracy has largely focused on 5- and 6-year-olds and studies in younger children, often collapsed samples across different age groups. We collected data from 3-year-olds (n = 147) and 4-year-olds (n = 173). First, we ensured the reliability and validity of the Early Numeracy Test (ENT) in 3- and 4-year-old children. Second, we investigated the role of family variables (i.e., socioeconomic status and number of siblings), gender, and language skills in individual differences in early numeracy. Results showed that the adapted ENT can be used to reliably measure numerical relational and counting skills in 3- and 4-year-olds. Both numerical relational and counting skills were related to their symbolic magnitude processing skills. When analyzing individual differences, we found that in both age groups higher numerical relational skills were related to fewer number of children in the family, higher family income, and higher parental educational level. In the 4-year-olds, higher counting skills were related to having a higher parental educational level. There were no gender differences in early numeracy. When language skills were accounted for, only parental education level predicted numerical relational skills directly and indirectly through language skills, but only in 4-year-old children.