If you are a parent you may be wondering about when to start doing maths with your kids. The short answer is: It’s never too early.

The slightly longer answer is this:

In 2007, Duncan et al. published a landmark study they did about the connection between “school readiness” and later academic achievement. They write:

“… the strongest predictors of later achievement are school-entry math, reading, and attention skills. A meta-analysis of the results shows that early math skills have the greatest predictive power, followed by reading skills and then attention. … “

These results are “… similar for boys and girls and for children from high and low socioeconomic backgrounds.”

So if you want to improve your child’s later academic achievement, that is, for example, increase the probability that they will have good grades in high school or go to university, then all you have to do is get them to a good level before they start primary school. In particular, you don’t need to be rich to give your child a head start.