The theoretical, practical and content guide to early childhood mathematics education. Mathematics in Early Childhood Education explores mathematics in a range of early childhood contexts, including home, playgroup, childcare, preschool, and school. This book unfolds layers of knowledge relevant to early childhood mathematics education to help pre-service teachers increase confidence and build up a comprehensive professional identity as a mathematics educator. Part 1 explains the overarching theoretical framework for the teaching of mathematics in early childhood education, including a dedicated chapter on curricula. Part 2 includes opinion pieces to various mathematics education approaches helping students to develop various theoretical perspectives. Part 3 provides lesson plans on topics such as patterns, measurement and space and geometry, allowing students to fully engross themselves in mathematics content. Mathematics in Early Childhood Education balances theoretical perspectives with strong practical examples and teacher guidance providing pre-service educators an all-round solution to teaching mathematics in early childhood. KEY FEATURES Birth to age 8 focus with curriculum connections to both the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and the Australian Curriculum Extracts from EYLF and ACARA are indented throughout Sample learning experiences allow students to build their ‘content knowledge’ ‘Pause and Reflect’ boxes encourage students to better understand themselves as a mathematics educator and how their mathematics education practices are shaped Reflections from current educators provide insights into their practices and work with young children Opinion Pieces allow students to view various education approaches from different perspectives Margin notes provide short, succinct explanations of mathematics, science and technology terms.