About

How one mum’s search for a better way to support her children’s maths became Everyday Maths Play

Hi, I’m Amelia!

I’m a mum, mathematician and the person behind Everyday Maths Play. I created it to help parents build on the maths their children are learning through playful, hands-on activities and practical guidance — helping children develop real understanding, confidence and, importantly, enjoyment of maths.

Everyday Maths Play brings together two big parts of my life — my love of maths and my experiences as a parent.

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A young girl in a school uniform walks across a large outdoor hopscotch court with numbered squares painted on the pavement.

I thought maths would be the easy bit…

Maths has always been a huge part of my life. I’ve built my career around it, so when I became a parent, I assumed it would be the one subject I’d feel completely confident helping my children with.

The reality was rather different. Like so many parents, I found myself wondering: Should I be doing more? Am I actually helping? Or am I getting in the way? I knew maths, but I wasn’t always sure what supporting my children’s maths should actually look like.

Then one day, my eldest came home from school and told me she hated maths.

She was five.

Now I didn’t expect her to love maths just because I did, but hearing that from such a young child stopped me in my tracks. Because, at that age, children are naturally curious about the world around them, and it seemed such a shame that something as rich, creative and fascinating as maths already felt like something she disliked.

So I started looking for a better way.

So I started looking for answers. I read, researched and tried to understand what actually helps young children build confidence and develop a genuine understanding of maths.

And I quickly realised something important: Knowing maths and knowing how children learn maths are two very different things.

Again and again, I came back to the importance of play, exploration, conversation and hands-on experiences. Children need opportunities to try things out, make connections and make sense of mathematical ideas for themselves.

So we started doing things differently. We built, played games, spotted patterns, sorted, measured, counted and talked about our thinking. It didn’t feel like extra schoolwork — it simply felt like playing and spending time together.

And slowly, things began to change.

My daughter became more willing to have a go, less worried about making mistakes and more confident talking about her ideas. The frustration that had surrounded maths began to fade, and curiosity and enjoyment started to take its place.

A few months later, her teacher told me how much progress she had made — not just in her understanding, but in the confidence with which she approached maths.

Then she told me something I’ve never forgotten. When the class heard they would be having a maths assessment the following week, my daughter jumped up with excitement.

The same five-year-old who had told me she hated maths was now excited about a maths test.

And that became Everyday Maths Play.

As time went on, other parents began asking what we were doing, and I realised that many of them were wondering the same things I had been. They wanted to support their children’s maths, but didn’t necessarily have the time to research activities, work out what their child was learning or plan everything from scratch.

And, to be completely honest, neither did I. As a working mum with two young children, I knew how difficult it was to fit everything in — even when maths happened to be something I loved.

So I started creating the resources I wished I’d had: playful activities with the maths carefully thought through, alongside practical guidance to help parents understand what their child was exploring, why it mattered and how they could support them.

And gradually, those resources became Everyday Maths Play.

  • Parents don’t need to become teachers to make a difference.

  • Everyday Maths Play isn’t about recreating school at home. Teachers do an incredible job, but as parents we have something different to offer: the conversations, encouragement, one-to-one time and playful moments we share with our children.

    You don’t need to have all the answers or be a maths expert. With the right activities, ideas and guidance, you can build on what your child is learning, explore maths together and help them develop the understanding and confidence that future learning depends on.

    That’s what Everyday Maths Play is here to help you do.

  • Understand Your Child’s Maths

    Download a FREE Guide to understand what your child is learning, why it matters and how you can support their maths with confidence.

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  • Support Your Child’s Maths

    A whole year of playful maths activities that support what your child is learning at pre-school or school, with practical guidance and printable resources.

    Explore Play & Learn Bundles 

  • Find Something to Play

    Choose from playful, hands-on maths activities designed to help children explore ideas, build understanding and grow in confidence.

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