A Handy Tool: Using Fingers as a Numerical Representation Specifically Benefits Lower Performers in Kindergarten Mathematics
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| Title: | A Handy Tool: Using Fingers as a Numerical Representation Specifically Benefits Lower Performers in Kindergarten Mathematics |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Gabriela Kovarsky Rotta (ORCID |
| Source: | Developmental Psychology. 2026 62(4):802-816. |
| Availability: | American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 15 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Early Childhood Education Elementary Education Kindergarten Primary Education |
| Descriptors: | Kindergarten, Intervention, Mathematics Instruction, Educational Games, Computation, Human Body, Manipulative Materials, Program Effectiveness, Numeracy, Intelligence Tests, Achievement Tests |
| Geographic Terms: | Massachusetts |
| Assessment and Survey Identifiers: | Raven Progressive Matrices, Woodcock Johnson Tests of Achievement |
| DOI: | 10.1037/dev0002032 |
| ISSN: | 0012-1649 1939-0599 |
| Abstract: | Early math difficulties can stem from children's failure to link nonsymbolic and symbolic representations of number. Well-designed math games have been consistently shown to help children make this link (Balladares et al., 2024), but research using fingers as numerical representations is more mixed (e.g., Moeller et al., 2011). In the present study, 95 kindergarteners (5-7 years old; estimated demographics based on publicly available data: 81% White; 7% Hispanic/Latinx; 2% Black; 1% Asian/Pacific Islander; 9% multiracial) participated in a 2-week intervention that targeted quantitative skills through one of three approaches to math games: finger-based games, manipulative-based games, or a combination of fingers and manipulatives. There was also a nonmath control group. Across all math-based conditions, children improved significantly from pretest to posttest in measures of early numeracy. This pattern of improvement was moderated by children's initial performance; children performing at or above grade level at pretest derived the most benefit from the manipulative-based games and combined conditions, while their peers who began the study below grade-level performance saw the largest improvements in the finger-based condition. The findings add nuance to a growing literature that seeks to understand the benefits of finger-based activities or numerical games on quantitative skills in 5- to 7-year olds. We underscore the practical and theoretical importance of considering student's baseline understanding of number and argue that fingers are an especially appropriate tool for children who are at the beginning of their numeracy journey, perhaps because they embody the connection between symbolic and nonsymbolic number in a single, pared-down representation. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1503363 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Early math difficulties can stem from children's failure to link nonsymbolic and symbolic representations of number. Well-designed math games have been consistently shown to help children make this link (Balladares et al., 2024), but research using fingers as numerical representations is more mixed (e.g., Moeller et al., 2011). In the present study, 95 kindergarteners (5-7 years old; estimated demographics based on publicly available data: 81% White; 7% Hispanic/Latinx; 2% Black; 1% Asian/Pacific Islander; 9% multiracial) participated in a 2-week intervention that targeted quantitative skills through one of three approaches to math games: finger-based games, manipulative-based games, or a combination of fingers and manipulatives. There was also a nonmath control group. Across all math-based conditions, children improved significantly from pretest to posttest in measures of early numeracy. This pattern of improvement was moderated by children's initial performance; children performing at or above grade level at pretest derived the most benefit from the manipulative-based games and combined conditions, while their peers who began the study below grade-level performance saw the largest improvements in the finger-based condition. The findings add nuance to a growing literature that seeks to understand the benefits of finger-based activities or numerical games on quantitative skills in 5- to 7-year olds. We underscore the practical and theoretical importance of considering student's baseline understanding of number and argue that fingers are an especially appropriate tool for children who are at the beginning of their numeracy journey, perhaps because they embody the connection between symbolic and nonsymbolic number in a single, pared-down representation. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0012-1649 1939-0599 |
| DOI: | 10.1037/dev0002032 |
