The early years of education are a crucial time to develop a strong foundation of critical mathematical skills. A growing body of research continues to demonstrate that this foundational knowledge can be successfully built through teacher-facilitated, or guided, approaches to play. Despite its benefits, the implementation of guided play is relatively uncommon, as educators have expressed uncertainty regarding how to support guided play within the realities of classroom practice. The current study addressed this central challenge through qualitative inquiry, and identified three overarching approaches, each with specific strategies for implementation, that educators used to guide children’s play to support early math learning. Results also identified how guided play is situated within an ongoing and iterative process of play, whereby educators play a crucial role in supporting children’s learning before, during, and after periods of play. Illustrative examples of these approaches and strategies for guiding play will be shared and discussed relative to their potential for supporting educators within their practice of integrating teacher-facilitated play and early mathematics learning.

早期教育是奠定重要数学技能坚实基础的关键时期。越来越多的研究不断证明，这种基础知识可以通过教师促进或指导的游戏方法成功构建。尽管有其好处，但引导游戏的实施相对不常见，因为教育工作者对于如何在课堂实践的现实中支持引导游戏表示不确定。当前的研究通过定性探究解决了这一核心挑战，并确定了三种总体方法，每种方法都有具体的实施策略，教育工作者用来指导儿童游戏以支持早期数学学习。结果还确定了引导游戏如何处于持续和迭代的游戏过程中，教育工作者在游戏之前、期间和之后在支持儿童学习方面发挥着至关重要的作用。我们将分享和讨论这些指导游戏的方法和策略的说明性示例，并讨论它们在整合教师引导的游戏和早期数学学习的实践中支持教育工作者的潜力。