Abstract
The purpose of the study was to explore the effectiveness of a program designed to improve the number skills of 5-year-olds. The program involved the withdrawal of children from the classroom in pairs to work with a specialist teacher using number BOOKS and games. Participants were 106 children who represented approximately the lower two-thirds of scores on a measure of numeracy. Twenty-three children participated in the program, and 83 served as contrasts. The program increased the numeracy levels of the children in the program and produced significantly greater gains in numeracy than were evident for the children in the contrast groups. Once the intervention program ceased, the magnitude of these effects gradually diminished over time, but the benefits of participation in the program remained statistically significant for more than a year after the program finished.