The purpose of this study is to gain increased knowledge of Year K-3 students’ perception of mathematics. The study aims to provide a deeper understanding of how Year K-3 students perceive mathematics in terms of what it is, what it can be used for and who they perceive use mathematics. The study provides an overview of previous research on children’s perception of mathematics in terms of what impact teachers and classroom settings have on these perceptions. Furthermore, it includes an overview of the theoretical frameworks of ethnomathematics and phenomenography, with regards to children’s perceptions of mathematics. The research was conducted through semi-structured interviews with 66 Year K – 3 students. The results of the study show that Year K – 3 students have a very school focused perception of mathematics, including who they perceive as users of mathematics and what mathematics can be used for. Most of the participants associates mathematics with arithmetic. Their perceptions seem to change slightly as they grow older, with a slightly broader perception of what mathematics is and an awareness of future usefulness of mathematics in terms of further education or work. Almost all participants perceived mathematics as important to know, and most could elaborate on their reasoning why.