Math is one of the most basic skills we expect our children to master.  Reading, writing and arithmetic: these are the three subjects often named as being of paramount importance.  And yet, while much focus is put on early literacy skills including reading and writing, math is often lost in the shuffle.  But teaching your child math skills from an early age is more important than you might think.

"Mastery of early math skills predicts not only future math achievement, it also predicts future reading achievement," states Greg Duncan, PhD, of Northwestern University.  Research into the importance of early math skills shows that children who are taught math early and learn the basics at a young age are set up for a lifetime of achievement in all aspects of their academic performance.  Building more advanced math skills is just one of the areas in which basic math taught early on can make a difference.