Home life and the development of competence in mathematics: Implications of research with the HOME inventory

Children’s environments contain a diverse array of actions, objects, events, and conditions that have the potential to influence the development of math skills. The focus of this chapter is on the HOME Inventory and what research using the HOME reveals about relations between children’s home environments and their competence in mathematics. Studies show that socioemotional and structural features of the home are associated with math competence just as are access to learning materials and efforts on the part of parents to provide enriching experiences. Provision of stimulation during the second and third years of life shows a stronger relation to math than does stimulation during early infancy. It also appears that some of the relations are indirect via language and cognitive processing skills. Although research is limited, research using the HOME suggests that the broad affordances of the home environment matter as regards the early development of math competence.