Home mathematics environment and math performance of Chilean students in kindergarten and Grades 1 to 3

We investigated whether home math activities were related to children's math performance in kindergarten and the first three years of primary school. Participants were Chilean parents and their children in kindergarten, Grade 1, Grade 2, and Grade 3 (ns = 101, 95, 87, and 84, respectively). Mothers and fathers independently answered questions about their math activities at home, provided sociodemographic information, and completed an arithmetic fluency task. Children completed measures of applied problem solving, calculation, and arithmetic fluency. For kindergarten children, we found that mothers’ (but not fathers’) reports of the frequency of operational (e.g., mental arithmetic) activities were positively related to children's math performance, whereas mothers’ reports of the frequency of mapping (e.g., counting, number naming) math activities were negatively correlated with performance. For children in Grades 1–3, home math activities were not significant unique predictors of math outcomes. The socioeconomic status of children's schools and maternal math fluency predicted children's math performance in Grades 1–3. The implications of these findings are discussed for understanding how children's home environments are related to their mathematical development.