About Story Time Maths
In 2022, after having my second baby and returning to work as a Maths Lead and teacher at Dane Bank Primary School, I noticed a huge gap: there were no maths schemes of work developed specifically for nursery. Despite early maths being such a powerful predictor of future attainment, there was very little UK-centred research and almost no structured support for practitioners working with our youngest learners.
Yet the evidence was clear — what happens in nursery matters. It shapes children’s confidence, language, problem-solving and their entire relationship with maths. I realised that if we wanted children to thrive later, we needed something better at the very start.
That’s why I created Story Time Maths.
With the support of The SHINE Trust, I began developing a programme that brings together high-quality stories, evidence-informed early maths principles, clear progression, and practitioner-friendly guidance. Over the last three years, we’ve built a full curriculum, developed CPD for staff, and worked closely with schools across Tameside, Cheshire and Manchester to refine, trial and evolve the approach.
Today, Story Time Maths is more than a curriculum...it’s a movement.
A community of dedicated early years practitioners who believe in the power of stories, play, language and meaningful experiences to transform children’s mathematical understanding.
It’s been an incredible journey so far, and I’m excited for everything that’s yet to come.
Funding and Support
Story Time Maths is proud to have been developed with the generous support of The SHINE Trust, an education charity based in Leeds. Their backing has enabled the creation of a high-quality, evidence-informed Early Years maths curriculum, as well as practitioner CPD, ensuring that the programme is practical, impactful, and accessible to schools.
Since its inception, Story Time Maths has received support from SHINE to trial and refine the curriculum across schools in Tameside, Cheshire, and Manchester. This support has been invaluable in helping us develop the term-by-term curriculum, on-demand training, and resources that practitioners need to bring maths to life for young children.
Thanks to this support, Story Time Maths continues to expand its reach, helping more schools provide high-quality Early Years maths education and ensuring that children from all backgrounds have the opportunity to thrive.
In the Press
Read more about Story Time Maths below:
SHINE Trust Story Time Maths Blog
Articles
World Book Day 2026 🌍 📕 ✨
Today has been a joyful reminder of just how powerful stories can be.
For World Book Day, I arrived at school dressed as Little Miss Sunshine, alongside our Headteacher who fully embraced the spirit as Mr Bump. At home, the celebrations continued - One of my children proudly went as a police officer (a strong non-fiction choice!) and the other as Willy Wonka, a classic favourite. He even took a chocolate for every child in his class hidden under his hat… he (and most probably they) loved it. 🍫
World Book Day is a celebration of the joy of reading and imagination. As Gene Wilder sang in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory:
“Come with me and you'll be in a world of pure imagination.”
Books really can take us anywhere. Standing at the school gates this morning, seeing the excitement on children’s faces, including my own, was a powerful reminder of the magic that stories hold.
But books are about far more than simply reading words on a page.
Stories are the spark that fuels conversation, develop speech and language, deepen our understanding of the world, and promote oracy, curiosity and discussion. They open the door to rich learning opportunities across the curriculum.
Stories and mathematics: a powerful partnership
Looking at this through a Story Time Maths lens, stories provide an incredibly rich context for mathematical thinking. When mathematics is embedded within narrative, it becomes meaningful, relatable and talk-rich.
Stories invite children to:
• notice patterns and sequences
• compare quantities
• reason and predict
• explain their thinking
• explore time, measure and number in context
And perhaps most importantly, stories naturally create space for mathematical talk, the kind of back-and-forth dialogue that allows children to test ideas, build vocabulary and deepen understanding.
This closely echoes the thinking within Ofsted’s Strong Foundations in the First Years of School, which highlights the critical role of language in learning. The report notes:
“Children’s understanding of mathematical concepts is strengthened when adults talk with them about mathematics, using the correct mathematical vocabulary.”
Stories give us the perfect vehicle for that conversation.
A wonderful example: Jasper’s Beanstalk
One of my favourite books to explore mathematically is Jasper’s Beanstalk by Nick Butterworth and Mick Inkpen.
On the surface, it’s a simple story about Jasper planting a bean and waiting for it to grow. But inside the story are so many mathematical opportunities.
🌱 Days of the week and sequencing
The story unfolds from Monday through to Sunday, giving children a chance to explore order, sequence and the cyclical nature of time.
🌱 Time and patience
Jasper waits all week for the beanstalk to grow. This opens up discussions about time, change and expectations.
🌱 Measuring and growth
When the beanstalk finally appears, children can measure growth, compare heights, or track changes over time.
🌱 Prediction and reasoning
Why didn’t the beanstalk grow earlier in the week? What might plants need to grow?
🌱 Problem solving and talk
Children can imagine what Jasper might try next, plan how they would grow a plant, or explore what might happen if the story continued.
What’s powerful here is that the mathematics emerges naturally through conversation. The story provides the context; the talk builds the understanding.
Where stories, language and maths meet
When we use stories in this way, mathematics stops being something separate from children’s experiences. Instead, it becomes part of the narrative they are exploring.
Through books, children are:
• hearing rich vocabulary
• explaining their thinking
• listening to others
• making connections
• building understanding together
In other words, stories create the perfect environment for mathematical thinking through language.
And that’s why I love working through a Story Time Maths approach. When maths begins with a story, it begins with curiosity, conversation and imagination.
To celebrate World Book Day, I’m also sharing one of our Story Time Maths home learning cards for Jasper’s Beanstalk for free alongside this post, so families can explore the mathematical opportunities in the story together at home.
Because sometimes the most powerful maths lesson…
starts with a story. 📚✨