Parental attitudes and beliefs about mathematics and the use of gestures in children’s math development

Children vary in mathematical skills even before formal schooling. The current study investigated how parental math beliefs, parents’ math anxiety, and children's spontaneous gestures contribute to preschool-aged children’s math performance. Sixty-three Turkish-reared children (33 girls, Mage = 49.9 months, SD = 3.68) were assessed on verbal counting, cardinality, and arithmetic tasks (nonverbal and verbal). Results showed that parental math beliefs were related to children’s verbal counting, cardinality and arithmetic scores. Children whose parents have higher math beliefs along with low math anxiety scored highest in the cardinality task. Children’s gesture use was also related to lower cardinality performance and the relation between parental math beliefs and children’s performance became stronger when child gestures were absent. These findings highlight the importance of parent and child-related contributors in explaining the variability in preschool-aged children’s math skills. •Role of parental math beliefs, attitudes, and children's gestures in preschool-age children’s math performance was examined.•Children were assessed on verbal counting, cardinality, and arithmetic tasks (nonverbal and verbal).•Parental math beliefs were related to children’s verbal counting, cardinality and arithmetic scores.•Children’s gesture use was linked to lower cardinality performance.•The relation between parental math beliefs and children’s performance became stronger when children did not gesture.