A fundamental question in numerical development concerns the directional relation between an early‐emerging non‐verbal approximate number system (ANS) and culturally acquired verbal number and mathematics knowledge. Using path models on longitudinal data collected in preschool children (Mage = 3.86 years; N = 216; 99 males; 80.8% White; 10.8% Multiracial, 3.8% Latino; 1.9% Black; collected 2013–2017) over 1 year, this study showed that earlier verbal number knowledge was associated with later ANS precision (average β =.32), even after controlling for baseline differences in numerical, general cognitive, and language abilities. In contrast, earlier ANS precision was not associated with later verbal number knowledge (β = −.07) or mathematics abilities (average β =.10). These results suggest that learning about verbal numbers is associated with a sharpening of pre‐existing non‐verbal numerical abilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]