Boosting Young Children’s Math Skill with Technology in the Home Environment

Math skills in early childhood are correlated with future academic achievement. Caregiver engagement in math learning with their children contributes to the growth of children’s math skills. Providing high-quality math materials for caregivers to use in the home may help them better engage in math activities with their children and boost children’s math skills. We conducted a 6-month RCT offering high-quality math learning materials to 423 children aged 3–5 years and their primary caregivers from diverse economic backgrounds. Families were randomized into three groups: 1) a control group receiving a coloring book unrelated to math learning; and treatment groups that received 2) a digital tablet with math apps; 3) analog math learning materials. On average, we find no effects of providing math materials on children’s math skills. However, among families with the presence of both biological parents, providing digital materials increased children’s math skills by .23 control group standard deviation. We conclude that a stable home environment created by two biological parents complements the marginal return of math materials to engage caregivers in children’s math learning and boost children’s math skills. Evidence also suggests that digital tools are more effective to boost children’s skills than analog materials.