... to the Children's Mathematics Research Network -    

     A place to find out about children's mathematics, and Children's Mathematical graphics, to see examples of children's graphics and discover the thinking and research that underpins them. You may already be familiar with some of our work, or perhaps you have seen examples of children's own Mathematical Graphics, or would like to deepen your understanding in supporting children's own graphicacy.  We advocate a spirit of freedom and creativity for teachers and freedom for children to explore their meanings in their own chosen ways. Our aim is to hear the voice of the child and to support effective pedagogy for this significant aspect of early childhood mathematics.

     Founded by Dr. Maulfry Worthington and Dr. Elizabeth Carruthers, the Children's Mathematics Research Network began in 2003. It is an international, not-for-profit organisation for teachers, practitioners, students, researchers, academics and teacher-educators working in the birth to 8-year age range. It is an independent, grassroots network, with children, teachers and practitioners at its heart.

      Our work is based on over 30 years of extensive evidence-based research with children, teachers and practitioners and families within the contexts of homes, nursery schools and primary schools.

      The Network focuses on Children's Mathematical Graphics and the meanings children make. You can explore and share 'written' mathematics within the context of visual representations including children's early drawings; early (emergent) writing; their early maps; multimodality and pretend play. 

     Much research and writings about children and mathematics has been adult-centric, and the field is open and in need of research and publications that uncover aspects of children’s own mathematical thinking and communications, including their own graphical representations, their free play in which they often explore aspects of mathematics in meaningful contexts – and the pedagogy that supports children’s own mathematics. This is open to much wider research and we welcome research, writings and examples of Children’s Mathematical Graphics that focus on any aspect of children’s own mathematics.

    Dr. Elizabeth Carruthers and Dr. Maulfry Worthington are also the originators of the term Children’s Mathematical Graphics and its associated pedagogy. Interest in our research and publications over the past 30 years has been acknowledged extensively in the UK and internationally. We would like to welcome you to this network which we hope will be of interest and use to everybody who is interested in children's mathematics.