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Language skills are very important in this globalizing world. Language (dis)abilities are also a hot topic in (research in) education, as a continuously increasing number of children grow up in multilingual environments. It is well-known that language skills play a crucial role in learning to read (Roth, Speece, Cooper, 2002), but more recent evidence suggests that they also contribute to individual differences in learning mathematics (LeFevre et al., 2010; Purpura & Reid, 2016). This symposium aims to enrich our understanding of how language skills play a role in early education, when children acquire numerical skills and formally learn to solve basic arithmetic. The first two presentations focus on preschoolers who have not yet received formal reading and arithmetic instruction. Pupura and Hornburg performed a longitudinal study that explored the role of language and early reading in acquiring numerical skills. They found that especially mathematical language was important. Vanbinst et al. investigated precursors of arithmetic and reading before formal instruction and found that the overlap between these early academic abilities might be driven by a common reliance on language skills. The subsequent presentations focus on children who have recently started primary education. Xu, Lafay et al. investigated whether vocabulary knowledge contributed to the early math development of children who started learning mathematics in their first (L1) or second (L2) language. The results differed for L1 versus L2 learners, and implications for supporting L2 learners will be discussed. In the final presentation, Chow will present an intervention study in which first graders’ numerical skills were trained. Training ensured progress on several mathematical measures, but the intervention effect appeared to be moderated by language skills. This symposium will be finalized by a critical and compendious conclusion of all the presented findings.