A Call for National Guidance on Early Numeracy

American Academy of Pediatrics

At well-child visits, pediatricians hand families a book and tell them to read together every day. That guidance, repeated across millions of appointments, helped make daily reading a norm in American homes.

There is no equivalent for math. No national body tells families that counting, comparing, and playing games with young children builds the foundation for everything that follows — even though early math skills at school entry are among the strongest predictors of later achievement, in math and in reading alike.

Governors from across the country have asked the American Academy of Pediatrics and the U.S. Surgeon General to close that gap. This petition adds the voices of researchers, educators, clinicians, and families to that request.

To: American Academy of Pediatrics
From: [Your Name]

We the undersigned are joining with Governors from across the country in our commitment to the long-term success and well-being of America’s children. We call upon our nation’s leading public-health and pediatric authorities to help families embrace simple, accessible tools for early learning.

Families across the country already enjoy playing card and board games that involve counting, comparing quantities, recognizing patterns, sequencing, simple probability, and strategic thinking—activities shown to build foundational numeracy, strengthen school readiness, and boost long-term academic confidence.

Much like daily reading supports literacy, regular numeracy play nurtures a child’s comfort with numbers and problem-solving, yet there is currently no clear national guidance encouraging families to make it a routine part of everyday life.

Therefore, we respectfully request that:

➢ The U.S. Surgeon General issue a recommendation encouraging parents and caregivers to spend a set number of hours per week playing age-appropriate board or card games with their children that develop core numeracy skills; or
➢ The American Academy of Pediatrics adopt a formal policy, parallel to its guidance on daily reading, recommending a specific weekly amount of numeracy-enriching play for young children.

We recognize that the precise parameters of such guidance should be determined by subject-matter experts, and we stand ready to work with the Surgeon General, the American Academy of Pediatrics, researchers, practitioners, and family-serving organizations to advance this vital effort and improve student math achievement.