Mathematics in Early Childhood

ECCE 2023
 Chapter One: The Importance Of
Mathematics

• 1.1. An Emerging Appreciation for

Early Mathematics Learning
• 1.2. Components of Mathematics
 1.1. An Emerging Appreciation for
Early Mathematics Learning

• Mathematical concepts are important for everyday life

and they develop slowly in the young child.
• Children have an inherent interest in mathematics and
can learn mathematical concepts at a very young age.
• The years before a child enters school are called the
“years of promise” for mathematics because they are
particularly important for mathematics development.
 An Emerging Appreciation .... Mathematics
Learning .... (Cont’d)
• Young children understand math in relationship to
how it affects them.
• Research indicates that the ability to reason about
numbers starts as early as infancy.
• The infant discovers the shape of the object by
putting it in his mouth and holding on to it.
• The toddler can let you know he is two years old by
trying to show you two fingers.
 An Emerging Appreciation .... Mathematics
Learning .... (Cont’d)

• The three-year-old likes to sing a number song,

while the four-year-old counts “one-two-three-
four-five-six.”
• The five-year-old shows you how tall his block
building is, and the school-age child wants to win
at the board game he is playing.
• All these children are using math language.
 An Emerging Appreciation .... Mathematics
Learning .... (Cont’d)

• In the beginning, children can say the names of

numbers in order.
• They remember the words, but they do not
understand the meaning of what they are saying.
• This number sense evolves during the first eight
years of a child’s life.
 An Emerging Appreciation .... Mathematics
Learning .... (Cont’d)

• By the time children are in preschool, prior to having

any formal lesson in arithmetic, they use a variety of
strategies to solve simple addition and subtraction
problems.
• They may use manipulative or fingers to represent
the numbers in the problem and count out loud to
find out the answer.
 An Emerging Appreciation .... Mathematics
Learning .... (Cont’d)

• To solve an addition problem such as 4 + 2

presented with concrete objects (e.g., color
crayons), the child may count all objects “one,
two, three, four” and then continue with the
second set of objects “five, six” and find out
there are a total of six.
 An Emerging Appreciation .... Mathematics
Learning .... (Cont’d)
• How you set up the early education environment will
determine how often the child has opportunities to
develop number sense and logical ways of thinking
about time, space, and other mathematical ideas.
• For young children, infants and toddlers especially,
the schedules and routines of the day become a
consistent sequence of events.
 An Emerging Appreciation .... Mathematics
Learning .... (Cont’d)
• This regular predictable pattern helps put order to
things, which is part of the process of math learning.
• When you frequently sing number songs and finger
plays, read number books, share number flannel
board stories, and repeat numerals, you are placing
math in the environment and making it part of the
day’s routine.
 An Emerging Appreciation .... Mathematics
Learning .... (Cont’d)
• Researchers have found that early number
competencies are linked to future math success.
• In an analysis of six longitudinal studies, school-entry
math was one of three key predictors (along with
reading and attention skills) of school achievement
later in elementary school and middle school.
 An Emerging Appreciation .... Mathematics
Learning .... (Cont’d)
• Furthermore, the complexity of children’s block play
in preschool has been linked to future success in
junior high and high school, predicting the number of
mathematics courses taken, the grades received in
mathematics, and mathematics achievement scores.
• Children’s mathematical abilities as they enter
kindergarten predict their mathematics achievement
throughout school and are even related to later
reading achievement.
 1.2. Components of Mathematics
• The National Association for the Education of
Young Children (NAEYC) suggest that 3-to-6 year-
olds should be introduced to the key content areas
of number sense and operations, geometry,
measurement, algebra, functions, and patterns , and
data analysis.
• Such content areas are intended to stimulate, assist,
support, and sustain pre-schoolers emergent
mathematical skills.
 Components of Mathematics ....(Cont’d)

• Number Sense and Operations: Number sense is the

ability to think and work with numbers, and to
understand their uses and relationships.
• This ability includes: counting, one-to-one
correspondence, part-whole relationships,
comparison, recognizing and writing numerals, and
a basic understanding of “adding to“ and “taking
away” operations.
 Components of Mathematics ....(Cont’d)

• Geometry: concerns the study of shapes and

spatial relationships.
• Included in this strand is the child’s ability to
identify, describe and construct different
shapes, and to identify and label positions in
space.
 Components of Mathematics ....(Cont’d)

• Measurement: Involves comparing, ordering,

and measuring things.
• Included the child’s ability to compare and
order objects by length, height, weight, or
capacity; to use comparison vocabulary; and
to begin to measure.
 Components of Mathematics ....(Cont’d)

• Algebra, Functions, and Patterns: concerns

the development of algebraic thinking and
reasoning.
• Included in this strand is the ability to sort,
group, and classify objects by some attribute
and to recognize, extend, and create patterns.
 Components of Mathematics ....(Cont’d)

• Data Analysis: includes collecting and

organizing data about individuals and the
environment.
• Young children and teachers love to chart
information, graph results of counting and
tally numbers.
 Components of Mathematics ....(Cont’d)

• Young children need ongoing opportunities to

develop their mathematical thinking.
• Possibilities for learning across all the specified
math areas should be available, daily, in classroom
activity/interest areas, during small and large group
teacher-child interactions, and out of doors.
 Components of Mathematics ....(Cont’d)
Potential Warning Signs of Developmental Delay
• For older preschool children (4–5 years old), difficulty
learning to associate specific numbers to a small group of
items (i.e., fewer than four), sorting items in logical ways,
remembering numbers, and sensing time accurately (e.g.,
wants to know soon after arriving at school why it’s not
lunchtime already).
• Five-year-old children who do not recognize numbers, have
difficulty counting, and have problems recognizing patterns,
sizes, shapes, or colors.
 1.3. Principles of Mathematics
• Pre-school mathematical Principles is the statement
reflects the basic rule that guides high-quality
mathematics education.
• These principles are including the following:
 Young children are already engaged in learning
(informal) mathematics. They do not need to be
made ready to learn.
 Young children already possess many basic informal
 Principles of Mathematics ..... (Cont’d)

 Play is not enough for optimal mathematics learning.

 Sensitive adult guidance can help children engage in

complex forms of mathematics learning and to
realize their learning potential.
 The mathematics curriculum should stress not only
basic ideas and procedures, but also the verbal
expression of mathematical thinking.
 Principles of Mathematics ..... (Cont’d)
Specifically, from theory and research on ECCE
practice, scholars in the professions recommends the
following six themes of comprehensive principles of
teaching-learning mathematics in pre-school:
Equity: high expectations and strong support for all
students.

Curriculum: More than just a collection of activities;

coherent, focus on important mathematics, good in
articulated in all values.

Teaching: Learning math effective need

understanding to what students know and need to
 Principles of Mathematics ..... (Cont’d)

Learning: Students must learn mathematics with

understanding, actively building new knowledge and
previous knowledge from experience.
Assessment: Assessment must support and provide
important mathematics learning information that
useful for students and teachers.
Technology: Technology is essential in teaching and
study mathematics; It affects mathematics that is
taught and improve students learning.
Above six principles should be used as a guide for
teaching in all learning activities, not just
mathematics.
 Principles of Mathematics ..... (Cont’d)
Learning should be designed as possible, so that the
learning of mathematics into knowledge preferred
and attractive mathematics which previously feared
and boring.
To strengthen the foundations of mathematics learning in
early childhood is necessary to build a positive attitude
towards mathematics.
To build a positive attitude towards learning mathematics
necessary to prepare devices that support and adapted to the
age of the child development curriculum, methods and
devices.

Good thing when learning of mathematics reflects all the

 Chapter Two: General Teaching Strategies
For Mathematics

• Preschool Mathematics Pedagogy

• Teaching Strategies That Support Maths

• Materials for Developing Math Concepts

• Key Developmental Indicators in
Mathematics
 2.1. Preschool Mathematics Pedagogy
• Pedagogy has been defied as ‘…the deliberate
process of cultivating development.’
• A high degree of direct adult engagement and
strong guidance is implicated in this definition, and
such engagement is particularly necessary in
relation to mathematics learning and teaching.
• In pedagogical terms, the educator engages in
practices that promote and assess early
mathematics learning.
 Preschool Mathematics Pedagogy ….. (Cont’d)

The Early Childhood Care and Education

Programme recognise that children learn best
through play and learning by doing.
Children of this age group are naturally curious to
explore their immediate world using their senses.

Anyone who has spent time observing young

children will have noticed that they are in constant
interaction with their environment, they want to
touch everything they see.
 Preschool Mathematics Pedagogy ….. (Cont’d)

All that matters to children is Play, Play, and

Play.
Furthermore children learn by doing, by
experiencing and actively participating in
the learning process.
The most common General teaching
methods for mathematics are Play-Based
 Preschool Mathematics Pedagogy ….. (Cont’d)

1. Play-Based learning

Play for a child is natural, spontaneous, enjoyable,

rewarding and it is self initiated.

While children do not engage in play for its

learning outcomes, yet it has been shown that play
prompts growth and development.

In recent times play has been considered as a

behavioral disposition that occurs in describable
 1. Play-Based learning ….. (Cont’d)

Given the importance of play as a learning process

for young children, it is essential that good
mathematics pedagogy recognizes this fact, honors it
and harnesses its power.
Sarama and Clements (2009) identify three types of
play in which children engage with mathematics:
sensorimotor play, symbolic or pretend play, and games
with rules.
Aistear (NCCA, 2009a) promotes a range of different
 Play-Based learning ….. (Cont’d)

Although not outlined specifically in Aistear, all of the

above types of play contribute in their own way to
children’s mathematical learning and can offer valuable
opportunities for playful mathematical experiences.
The various types of play strengthen children’s
mathematical learning and understanding in different
ways.
The following examples highlight ways in which
mathematical skills and concepts can be developed in
early years settings, in both indoor and outdoor
 Play-Based learning ….. (Cont’d)

Physical play refers to physical, exploratory,

manipulative and constructive play.
It is the most common type of play in very
young children as it involves bodily
movements such as clapping, hopping and
jumping.
Through engaging in physical play
experiences, children can learn a variety of
 Play-Based learning ….. (Cont’d)
Physical play experiences include
participating in games and activities that develop the
vocabulary of position and movement;
identifying and comparing shapes and patterns
within the environment;
exploring and manipulating materials and
identifying their characteristics;
and comparing sizes of objects and counting them.

Through engaging in constructive play children

develop mathematical skills such as problem-solving,
visualization, spatial awareness and reasoning,
 Play-Based learning ….. (Cont’d)

Pretend play encompasses make-believe, dramatic,

socio-dramatic, role, fantasy and small world play.
Pretend play involves children being creative and
using their imaginations with objects, actions and in
role-playing.
Through participating in pretend play, children
develop early literacy and numeracy skills.
Through playing with real objects they develop
mathematical skills and engage with concepts such as
number operations related to counting, calculating,
problem solving, number, measure and time.
Using objects to symbolize other things, children
move from thinking in the concrete to thinking in the
 Play-Based learning ….. (Cont’d)

Creative play encompasses involves children exploring

actions and materials and communicating their ideas.

Through creative play children develop a variety of

mathematical skills in meaningful contexts. For
instance:
 children playing with junk and recycled materials can
make models,
 explore the properties and characteristics of 2-D and 3-
D shapes,
 Play-Based learning ….. (Cont’d)

Language play involves children playing with sounds

and words.

Children learn mathematical language through

discussion in playful situations, e.g., shopping,
cooking or number stories.

When children engage in play they can use objects to

symbolize or create something new and, in doing so,
can use mathematical language associated with the
new object.
 Play-Based learning ….. (Cont’d)
Games with rules include activities where children
follow a specific set of instructions or negotiate their
own rules.
Games with rules provide opportunities for
collaborative learning and for the development of
mathematical activities including reasoning, problem-
solving, classifying and ordering.
These activities can include people games with
children following directions, games measuring time,
movement games and number and board games.
Accommodations should be made for language
levels.
In invented games children can select appropriate
 2. Project Work approach
 The Project Approach is recognized as offering
opportunities for mathematical development.
The term ‘project’ refers to an in-depth study of a
particular topic undertaken by small groups of
children.

It is designed to assist young children to make deeper

and fuller sense of events and experiences and to
support their learning by encouraging them to make
decisions and choices in collaboration with their
 Project Work approach …. (Cont’d)

Children’s interests provide the stimulus for the topic

or project to be investigated.

The Project Approach presents children with

opportunities to make sense of real-life problems as
most projects involve a wide variety of types of
problem-solving.

The essence of the Project Approach is to engage

children in a complex and interesting project that
exploits and elaborates on the mathematics that arise
 Project Work approach …. (Cont’d)

The Project Approach helps children to:

 generate an awareness of the function of number
and quantity concepts
 create a reason to quantify information
 ƒ represent quantities with numerals
 see reasons to classify and sort
 develop categories
 use tools for investigation, experimentation and
observation
 ƒ compare and order objects
 engage in mathematical thinking
 Project Work approach …. (Cont’d)

The Project Approach helps children to:

 use measurement, counting and graphing
 develop an awareness of shape, area, distance and
volume
 construct models, drawing diagrams and charts and
creating play environments.
The Project Approach weaves mathematics with
young children’s everyday experiences in the early
education setting and offers rich opportunities for the
development of mathematical thinking and
understanding.
Of particular relevance is the incorporation of digital
tools in young children’s projects.
 3. Story/Picture-Book Reading
 Picture-Books
 Research indicates clearly that children’s literature
contributes greatly to the process by which young
children acquire mathematical thinking.
 It does so by offering enjoyable and meaningful contexts
– paper-based or digital – in which mathematical content
and concepts may be explored and developed.
 Picture-books usually show mathematical concepts
visually and therefore support children’s understanding
 Story/Picture-Book Reading ……. (Cont’d)

 Through engagement with picture-books, young

children are presented with rich contexts in which
they encounter problematic situations, ask questions,
reason mathematically and have conversations with
adults and peers, all of which can lead to the use of
mathematics-related language.
 Experiences with mathematically-related stories have
the potential to promote aspects of mathematical
proficiency, including procedural fluency, adaptive
 4. Guided Problem-Solving
• Guided Problem-Solving is the method used when
teachers try to help students become skilled at solving
problems.
• In the guided approach, the teacher first explains the general
concept, and then how to attack that specific type of problem.
• The teacher demonstrates each step of the solution, and then
gives the students similar problems to try on their own.
• This allows the students to apply the concepts they were
initially taught to similar as well as slightly different problems.
• Guided problem-solving is well suited for the mathematics and
 5. Diagnostic Teaching

• Diagnostic Teaching:- involves first presenting the students

with problems that they are to solve using any method they
can. (through trial & error)
• No lecture or explanation is given until after the students have
been given adequate time to work on the problems.
• Once the problems have been solved, the teacher will ask the
students to explain how they arrived at their answers.
• The teacher will then go through the steps required to solve
the problem, showing the students which steps they did right
and wrong, explaining how to correct any mistakes they may
 6. Rote Learning
Rote learning means memorizing something "by heart", or
exactly as it was presented to the student in the textbook or
teacher's lecture.
Common applications of rote learning are spelling lists,
mathematical rules, historical dates, and chemical formulas.
After the students have memorized the given material, they
are tested by repeating the material exactly as it was originally
given to them.

Rote learning is well suited for foreign language vocabulary,

history, and spelling tests.
7. Learning Mathematics Through The Arts
Another method that preschool teachers can adopt in
teaching mathematics to children is through the technique
of the Arts (music, the visual arts, drama).
MUSIC
Music is a rich context in which educators can develop
children’s mathematical language and concepts.
ECCE researchers suggests that, there are a strong link
between the order, timing, beat and rhythm of music and
attributes of mathematics such as counting, sequencing and
understanding time and order.
Learning Mathematics Through The Arts …….. (Cont’d)

The integration of music into children’s

mathematical and physical activities supports their
logical and rhythmic development and enables
teachers to make learning both music and
mathematics more meaningful for the children.
Engaging children in making and responding to
music may also contribute to the development of
other skills and attitudes that are important for
mathematics such as concentration, creativity,
Learning Mathematics Through The Arts …….. (Cont’d)

VISUAL ARTS:- Pattern and shape are key

features of both the visual arts and
mathematics.

In the visual arts, children encounter color,

form, texture, pattern and rhythm, and shape.

In mathematics, they discover patterns of

number and shape, balance and the properties
of a range of 2-D and 3-D shapes.
Learning Mathematics Through The Arts …….. (Cont’d)

A key aim of the visual arts curriculum is ‘to

develop the child’s awareness of, sensitivity to
and enjoyment of visual, aural, tactile and
spatial environments’, while awareness of the
visual and spatial qualities in the environment
is also important for mathematical
understanding, and for enhancing children’s
ability to apply mathematical knowledge in
 Learning Mathematics Through The Arts …….. (Cont’d)

Although the current visual arts curriculum provides

specific suggestions for linkages with other areas of
the curriculum, just a few of these relate specifically
to mathematics.
The following are some ways in which mathematics might be
integrated into the visual arts:
 ƒ identifying 2-D shapes (circles, triangles, rectangles,
squares) in fabrics
 repeating patterns, translation and rotation
 looking and responding: identifying and talking
 Learning Mathematics Through The Arts …….. (Cont’d)

With the youngest children, play with malleable

materials such as clay or dough is rich in opportunities to
experience the way in which a given quantity can change
shape.
Drawings and mark making can be used by children to
convey their growing awareness of number and quantity.
The educator, in considering the child’s verbal
explanations of the graphics he/she creates, can gain
insight into the child’s current and developing
understandings of the ways in which we use mathematical
language and record this by making marks.
Through discussion, the child also develops abilities to
 Learning Mathematics Through The Arts …….. (Cont’d)
Drama
Role-play offers many opportunities for children to engage
with mathematical concepts and skills.
Story contexts such as ‘The Three Little Pigs’ can give rise to
a range of mathematically-related play, especially if
appropriate props are provided to stimulate mathematical
thinking.
The educator can develop concepts through
discussion as appropriate.
For example, in many role-play contexts children can be
challenged to consider questions about quantity.
Phrases such as ‘just enough’ (equality), ‘not enough’ (less
than) and ‘too many’ (greater than) can be used and their
meaning explored in the context of the play.
 2.2. Teaching Strategies That Support Maths
• Mathematical concepts are important for everyday life
and they develop slowly in the young child.
• Children are born observers and are active participants
in their own learning and understanding of the world
around them from the very beginning of their existence.
• Today’s children are active participants in their own
learning, not just recipients of a teacher’s knowledge.
• As young children explore their environment, they begin
to notice relationships that are the foundations for
mathematics.
 Teaching Strategies That Support Maths .....(Cont’d)

• In pre-school classrooms, children acquire

mathematics skills and concepts through adult-
guided experiences that respect children’s concrete
thinking and need to learn through exploration.
• In pedagogical terms, the educator engages in
practices that promote and assess early mathematics
learning.
• Good mathematics teaching strategies can be enacted
when educators engage children in a variety of
 Teaching Strategies That Support Maths .....(Cont’d)

The activities should arise from children’s interests,

questions, concerns and everyday experiences and
offer children the time and freedom to construct
math ideas..
An understanding of the features of good child
teaching strategies should inform the ways in which
educators engage children in mathematically-related
activities such as play, story/picture-book reading,
project work, the arts and physical education.
 Teaching Strategies That Support Maths .....(Cont’d)

The potential of these activities for developing

mathematical proficiency can best be realized when
educators focus on children’s mathematical sense-
making.
Good teaching strategy is one that engages and
challenges children.
Keeping the above perspectives in mind the, the slide
which follows highlights many of these teaching
strategies.
An early childhood teacher cannot always plan in
advance which strategy will be most effective.
 Teaching Strategies That Support Maths .....(Cont’d)

Preschool Teachers can support children’s development of

the mathematics learning with the following teaching
strategies:
Teaching Strategies provide a wide variety of mathematics
materials in every area of the classroom.
For example, provide manipulative and materials (e.g.,
print and digital material, sand molds, tactile numeral
cards, puzzles, counting books, hand-held devices such as
tablets, interactive whiteboards) and activities (e.g. tracing
numbers in sand, forming numbers with clay, recording
 Teaching Strategies That Support Maths ...... (Cont’d)

Teaching Strategies involve children in activities that

support their ability to say number names in order as they
count and to name what number comes after another with
decreasing need of counting up from one.
Examples and Activities
 Teach children finger plays such as “One, two three, four,
five. Once I caught a fish alive. Six, seven, eight, nine, ten.
 Then I let it go again.” Repeat the rhyme, stop after four and
ask children “What comes next?”, then stop after nine and
ask children “What comes next?” Note that children may
 Teaching Strategies That Support Maths ...... (Cont’d)

Provide opportunities to promote measurement concepts in

the environment (things to measure and measure tools).
For example, it provide standard and nonstandard
measurement materials both indoors and outdoors (e.g., unit
blocks, inch cubes, rulers, cups, buckets, balance scales,
water and sand tables).
Introduce non-standard measuring tools such as yarn,
ribbon, blocks, paper towel tubes, and shoes and involve
children in using these tools to measure things such as the
length of a table, the circumference of a watermelon, or the
height of a block structure.
 Teaching Strategies That Support Maths ...... (Cont’d)
Support children in their understanding and use of
ordinal words and in their ability to compare two or
more sets of objects to determine which has more or
less.
Examples and Activities
 Remind children that the first thing they are to do
when they enter the classroom each morning is to
wash their hands.
 Count the number of boys and the number of girls
in attendance and decide which group has the most
and which has the least.
 N/B: Ordinal numbers - 1st, 2nd, and 3rd indicate
sequence such as where someone is in line, the
 Teaching Strategies That Support Maths .....(Cont’d)

Teaching Strategies:
 Encourage children to use mathematics to answer
their own questions and solve.
 Encourage inquiry and exploration to foster
problem solving and mathematical reasoning.
 Guide the children to develop math skills needed for
the new, changing information age of sophisticated
machines, technology, computers, and calculators
2.3. Materials for Developing Math Concepts

As we know, young children are interested in

math.
Their natural curiosity is evident in their
everyday play and activities.
The role of teachers and parents is to provide
children with the appropriate words,
materials, and resources to explore their
 Materials for Developing Math Concepts ….. (ጮነተደ)

The following materials offer children many ways to

develop their understanding of math concepts:
 balances, weights, scales
 Calendar
 Calculators
 cans or egg cartons, with numbers on them to
put a matching number of objects into
 children’s socks, shoes, mittens, and gloves, to
match in pairs
 clocks with numbers (not digital)
 Materials for Developing Math Concepts ….. (ጮነተደ)

The following materials:-

 geometric boards (geoboards): to manipulate
rubber bands or elastic loopers to form shapes or
designs
 magnetic boards with plastic numerals
 measuring cups, spoons, and pitchers
 milk cartons to demonstrate liquid measures and
relationships between half-pints, pints, quarts, and
gallons
 number strips and counting boards
 Puzzles

 Materials for Developing Math Concepts ….. (ጮነተደ)
The following materials:-
 self-help skill forms (buttoning, zipping, and tying)
 shape puzzles and flannelboard characters, such as
circle, square, rectangle, triangle, cone, sphere, cube,
cylinder, oval, diamond, star, and heart
 stacking, nesting, and sorting boxes/blocks
 storage containers in graduated sizes
 table games, such as parquetry blocks, pattern
blocks, card games, and dominos
 telephones
 thermometers (outside)
 timer
2.4. Technology in the Mathematics Program

There is a large body of knowledge that

demonstrates the positive role computer technology
can play in young children’s learning mathematics.
Early childhood teachers should recognize the
specific benefits and understand how to maximize
the potential of the computer as an educational tool.

Calculators and computers are part of a young

child’s world.
 Technology in the Mathematics Program …. (Cont’d)

They are now a given resource in learning mathematics.

Although young children need to learn to estimate and
calculate problems mentally (mental math), they must
eventually learn to do paper-and-pencil math and to use
a calculator.
Each of them should have access to a calculator, and the
calculators they are given should have easy-to-read
numbers found directly on the keys, and easy-to-depress
keys.
Teachers must also learn to use the calculator
 Technology in the Mathematics Program …. (Cont’d)

Computers provide games and simulation that aid

problem solving and skill building for young children
when they practice with developmentally appropriate
software.

Software for teaching math is being developed at a rapid

rate.
Educators should review and evaluate software carefully
before using it with young children.
Technology is essential in teaching and learning
mathematics; it influences the mathematics that is
 Technology in the Mathematics Program …. (Cont’d)

Computers Technology use that is connected to what

children already know and can build upon leads to
greater motivation and self-direction.
Loss of creativity can be a problem if children use
drill-and-practice software.

Open-ended software: software that provides

opportunities to discover, make choices, and find out
the impact of decisions; encourages exploration,
imagination, and problem solving
 Technology in the Mathematics Program …. (Cont’d)

In addition, Children working at the computer solve

problems together, talk about what they are doing, help and
teach friends, and create rules for cooperation. In fact, they
prefer working on the computer with a friend to doing it
alone.
Early childhood teachers guide children’s mathematical
learning through the use of manipulatives; pattern blocks,
Unifix cubes, Cuisenaire rods, and so on.
The emergence of virtual manipulatives, interactive, web-
based computer generated images of objects that children
can manipulate on the computer screen, can be especially
2.5. Key Developmental Indicators in Mathematics

Effective mathematics programs include

intentionally organized learning experiences
that build children’s understanding over time.
Equity in math opportunities is a crucial
concern.
The challenge is to provide for all children a
mathematical curriculum that is both broad
 Key Developmental Indicators ...... (Cont’d)

Depth is best achieved when CONTENT and

PROCESS are considered with equal weight.

Thus, In USA, The National Association for

the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
and the National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics (NCTM) suggest that 3-to-6
year-olds should be exhibited the following
key content knowledge areas and process
 Key Developmental Indicators ...... (Cont’d)

Accordingly, Major Preschool Content Standard

areas includes:
 1. Demonstrate understanding of Number Concepts
& Quantities: the understanding that numbers
represent quantities and have ordinal properties
(number words represent a rank order, particular
size, or position in a list).
 2. Shows understanding of Number Operations &
Relationships: the use of numbers to describe
 Key Developmental Indicators ...... (Cont’d)

 3. Develop Geometry & Spatial Sense:

understanding of shapes, their properties, and how
objects are related to one another.
 4. Recognize Patterns: The recognition of patterns,
sequencing, and critical thinking skills necessary to
predict and classify objects in a pattern.
 5. Recognizes Measurement & Comparison: The
understanding of attributes and relative properties
of objects as related to size, capacity, and area.
 Key Developmental Indicators ...... (Cont’d)
Preschool PROCESS Indicators
 Learning happens over time.
 Children must move through the stages
of learning from awareness to
exploration to inquiry to utilization.
 Teachers must plan multiple experiences
that help children become comfortable
with all fie mathematical processes:
problem solving, reasoning,
communicating, connecting and
 Key PROCESS Indicators ...... (Cont’d)

Problem solving:- is the ability to get involved

in a task in pursuit of a solution.

In problem solving, children develop

dispositions for persisting, testing, focusing
and risk taking.

They develop flexibility, confidence and

motivation to look at life’s experiences and
wonder
 Key PROCESS Indicators ...... (Cont’d)
Reasoning: is the ability to explain and analyze
possibilities for problem solving.
 It includes recognizing patterns and guessing what
comes next, asking why and creating individual
hypotheses.

Communicating:- explaining hypotheses helps to

organize and connect learning.
 Encouraging children to explain why or how to
teachers and peers deepens their learning.
 Conflicting opinions, approval and encouragement
from others promote further understanding and
consolidation of concepts.
 Key PROCESS Indicators ...... (Cont’d)

Connecting: children are engaged in

exploring mathematical concepts
throughout their preschool years.
• Classroom experiences enable the child
to connect life experiences with formal
mathematical concepts.
 Key PROCESS Indicators ...... (Cont’d)

Representing: representation is a means of

communicating.
• Learners should be encouraged to represent their
thinking by using clay, blocks, drawing, language,
diagrams, charts and eventually number symbols.
• Merely writing number symbols should not be a
primary focus.
• The experience of conveying thoughts becomes a tool
for making relationships in mathematics.
• Children remember what they were thinking,
rethink new possibilities and make connections to
new and old ideas.
•
 Chapter 3: Number Words And Symbols

• How Knowledge about Number Words

and Symbols Develops
• Teaching Strategies That Support
Using Number Words and Symbols
 3.1. How Knowledge about Number Words
and Symbols Develops
 Number: the amount or quantity used to group
items.
 Number sense is a concept and counting is a skill that
children use often in their everyday activities.
 It is the ability to think and work with numbers, and
to understand their uses and relationships.
 Number sense develops overtime as children engage
in activities that encourage them to think about,
 How Knowledge about Number ......(Cont’d)

Preschool children begin to demonstrate

Number Concepts & an understanding of
Quantity at early age.
The components of number sense ability
focus on the following aspects:
Pleasure and interest in numbers (disposition)
Understandings of some of the purposes of
numbers (as derived from everyday
experiences)
Awareness and understanding of written
numerals (based on interactions about
 How Knowledge about Number ......(Cont’d)

Specifically, the following concepts, skills, and

processes are fundamental to early number
sense development.

Recognizes numbers and quantities in the

everyday environment.

Pre-school children have begin to recognize

and know the name of some written numerals.
 How Knowledge about Number ......(Cont’d)

Preschool children begin to learn about and

understand that the number name of the last
object named represents the total number of
objects in the group (i.e., cardinal numbers ).

Cardinal numbers (Cardinality): is the

concept of knowing the last number counted
represents the total number of objects in a
group.
 How Knowledge about Number ......(Cont’d)

Preschool is also a time when children begin to

use ordinal number words and in their ability
to compare two or more sets of objects to
determine which has more, fewer, or less.
 Ordinal numbers: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd indicate
sequence such as where someone is in line, the
position of items in a row of objects, or the
steps in an activity such as brushing teeth.
 How Knowledge about Number ......(Cont’d)

 Research indicates that the development of number

sense is the most important element in preschool
mathematics.
 The development of number sense and the
understanding of operations provides the
foundation for much of what is taught in
mathematics.
 Young children come to preschool with many
informal mathematical experiences, for example
 How Knowledge about Number ......(Cont’d)

 Their existing knowledge must be connected with

the language, symbols and operations of
mathematics .
 Because the development of number concepts does
not occur in one lesson, one theme, or even one
year, we should understand that it is a continuous
process that provides the foundation for much
more of what is taught in mathematics for young
children.
3.2. Teaching Strategies That Support Using Number
Words and Symbols

In teaching preschool mathematics, the focus

should not only be counting, reading and
writing numbers.

It is more important that children spend

time creating a mental structure for number
concepts.

Encouraging thinking, making decisions and

Teaching Strategies Support Number sense....... (Cont’d)

The most effective and developmentally

appropriate way to work toward number sense
development are supporting children’s with the
following strategies:-
Use numeral words to describe everyday materials
and events.
Call attention to numerals (number symbols) in the
environment.
 Teaching Strategies Support Number sense....... (Cont’d)

To implement such strategies preschool teachers

will use the following examples of activities: :-
 Involve children in activities that support their
ability to say number names in order as they count
and to name what number comes after another
with decreasing need of counting up from one.
 Combine counting with actions such as clapping
five times or jumping up and down three times.
 Teaching Strategies Support Number sense....... (Cont’d)
 Sing songs such as “Once I Caught a Fish Alive”
with Finger plays, which represents a counting poem
for young children learning about numbers name in
order.

“One, two three, four, five; Once I caught a fish alive,

Six, seven, eight, nine, ten; Then I let it go again.

Why did you let it go? Because it bit my finger so.

Which finger did it bite? This little finger on my right.

(Count from 1 to 10)
One, two, three, four, five; Once I caught a fish alive,

Six, seven, eight, nine, ten; Then I let it go again.”

 Teaching Strategies Support Number sense....... (Cont’d)

 For example, encourage the children:

 To repeat the poem, stop after four and ask
children “What comes next?”, then stop
after nine and ask children “What comes
next?”
 Note that children may say “five” and “ten”
without prompting.
 Teaching Strategies Support Number sense....... (Cont’d)

Examples of activities: :- Supporting children

understanding and use of ordinal words and in their
ability to compare two or more sets of objects to
determine which has more or less.
 For example, count the number of boys and the
number of girls in attendance and decide which group
has the most and which has the least.
 Encourage comparing numbers frequently through
questions (e.g., “Are there more people riding in the
 Teaching Strategies Support Number sense....... (Cont’d)

Examples of activities: :- Supporting

Cardinality
 Count objects in a collection and then ask
children how many there are. After counting
boys and then counting girls in attendance, ask
“How many boys are here today? How many
girls?” After counting the pine cones that were
collected on the playground, ask “How many
Chapter Four: Counting and Operation

4.1. Basic Principles of Counting

4.2. How Counting Develops

4.3. Factors That Support the

Development of Counting

4.4. Teaching Strategies That Support

Counting
 4.1. Basic Principles of Counting
The following principles will guide teachers’
classroom practices in establishing a high –quality,
challenging, and sensitive early mathematics
learning.
These principles are promoting good beginnings
in counting ability:
Build on preschool children’s natural interest in
counting numbers and their intuitive and
informal mathematical knowledge.
Introduce mathematical concepts through
intentionally planned experiences (in addition to
what they spontaneously engage in)
 Basic Principles of Counting ..... (Cont’d)

Provide a mathematically rich environment

Provide an environment rich in language, and
introduce preschool children to the language
of mathematics
Observe children to discover opportunities to
clarify, extend, and reinforce their existing
mathematical concepts and to help them
discover new mathematical concepts
Provide an environment in which all children
can learn mathematics, set appropriately high
expectations for all children, and support
 4.2. How Counting Develops
Count anything and everything! Count real
things to help children use their own
experience with objects to better understand
numbers.
“Counting is a powerful tool for extending
young children’s nonverbal numerical and
arithmetical competencies.
Counting with young children starts with rote
counting, the ability to recite names of
numerals in order.
Rational counting requires children to match
 How Counting Develops ..... (Cont’d)

Preschool children develop an initial qualitative

understanding of a quantity of small groups of
objects without actually counting the objects.

This understanding is referred to as visually

knowing or “subitizing.”
It supports the ability to compare small groups of
objects: to know if the groups are the same, if one
group is larger (smaller), or which has more (fewer).
 How Counting Develops ..... (Cont’d)

Also developing is the ability to approach

simple arithmetic-like operations on groups
of objects with ideas such as “adding to,”
“putting together,” “taking apart,” “taking
away,” and so forth.
Preschool is the time when children learn to
recite the numbers in order, recognize
numerals, and begin to incorporate the idea
 How Counting Develops ..... (Cont’d)

 One-to-one correspondence: matching one number

word to each object in a group being counted.
 One-to-one correspondence is established when one
object is paired with one other object or a group of
objects is paired with another group of equal
number.
 The assigning of a number name (one, two, three,
etc.) to each object helps children place the objects
in a one-to-one correspondence.
4.3 Factors That Support the Development of
Counting

Young children actively construct mathematical

knowledge through everyday interactions with their
environment.
Setting up a high-quality physical environment is
essential for children’s mathematical development.

The preschool environment sets the stage for

children’s physical and social exploration and
construction of mathematical concepts.
 Factors .... Support the Development of Counting ....(Cont’d)

It should provide access to objects and materials that

encourage children to experiment and learn about key
mathematical concepts through everyday play.
 Enrich the environment with developmentally appropriate,
challenging, and engaging materials that promote
mathematical growth.
 Integrate math-related materials into all interest areas in the
classroom.
 Use materials, books, and real-life settings that reflect the
culture, ways of life, and languages of the children in the
Factors .... Support the Development of Counting ....(Cont’d)

Teachers should provide abundant opportunities for

children to learn and practice counting skills and should
praise the counting solutions”.

Throughout the day sing number songs, repeat finger

plays and rhymes, share number fannelboard stories,
and read books that include counting.
Be intentional and mindful in setting up and using the
physical environment (children do not effectively use
materials and engage in experiences just because you
provide them.
 4.4. Teaching Strategies That Support Counting
 Teachers can support children’s development of the
Counting number with the following:
Count and compare everything

Use number names in daily routines such as

counting the children in attendance, counting three
crackers for each child for snack, and counting the
number of children in a learning center.
Combine counting with actions such as clapping five
times or jumping up and down three times.
Create numerous opportunities for 1:1 matching
and counting.
 Teaching Strategies That Support Counting
• Examples of suggested activities & experiences
counting
Add items children can count: beads, blocks, shells,
bottle caps, plastic chips.
Support preschool children’s ability to apply the
counting procedure by
o Providing a lot of objects to count
o Starting with small sets
o Modeling counting
o Encouraging children to self-correct their counts
Teachers will observe children’s spontaneous
counting and foster growth through scaffolding or
modeling.
 Teaching Strategies That Support Counting

Provide materials to explore one-to-one

correspondence
Examples of suggested activities & experiences
 One napkin and one spoon for each child at the
snack table.
 One stick for each child to use for dancing.
 Counting the number of chairs around a table or
the number of steps on the outdoor climber.
 Read to children the story of The Three Little Pigs
and talk about a house for each pig. Model
storytelling by using felt or magnetic figures of the
three pigs and the three houses. Then provide
 Chapter Five: Part-whole Relationships
(Numerical Operations)

5.1. The Meaning of Part-Whole Relationships in

Mathematics

5.2. How an Understanding of Part-Whole

Relationships Develops
5.3. Teaching Strategies That Support
Understanding Part-Whole Relationships
 5.1. The Meaning of Part-Whole Relationships in
Mathematics
 The concept of part-whole relationships in
mathematics refers to understanding concepts
of number/quantity relationships and
operations.
It includes the development of understanding
of quantities, recognizing part-whole
relationships, the concept of zero and a basic
understanding of “adding to“ and “taking
away” operations.
Numeral/quantity relationship —
Understanding that a written numeral such as
 Meaning of Part-Whole Relationships …….. (Cont’d)
At around 48 months of age, children begin to
understand number
relationships and operations in their everyday
environment.
 Compare visually (with or without counting) two groups of
objects that are obviously equal or non-equal and communicate,
“more” or “same.”
Understand that adding to (or taking away) one or more objects
from a group will increase (or decrease) the number or objects
in the group.
 Understand that putting two groups of objects together will
 Meaning of Part-Whole Relationships …….. (Cont’d)

At around 60 months of age, children expand their

understanding of number relationships and
operations in their everyday environment.
 Compare, by counting or matching, two groups of up to five
objects and communicate, “more,” “same as,” or “fewer” (or
“less”).
Understand that adding one or taking away one changes the
number in a small group of objects by exactly one.
Understand that putting two groups of objects together will
make a bigger group and that a group of objects can be taken
apart into smaller groups.
 5.2. How an Understanding of Part-Whole
Relationships Develops
Understanding quantity is central to developing
one’s ability to recognize part-whole relationships.
Young children’s understanding of quantities and
numbers is largely related to counting, as noted in
the previous section.
Another important factor in children’s development
of
part-whole relationships is early experience with
number operations.
Research shows that counting and number
operations are related and that children as young as
three years are able to understand simple visual
 How Part-Whole Relationships Develops ...... (Cont’d)

When children enter elementary schools, much of

their engagement with mathematics will be devoted
to learning how quantitative and logical relationships
work in the world, and number operations hold a
key to such learning.
Although standard mathematical and abstract
symbols (e.g., +, =) are absent from those early
experiences with math operations, informal and
early mathematics experience becomes the
 How Part-Whole Relationships Develops ...... (Cont’d)

Children generally use a diverse range of strategies

to make sense of mathematical situations around
them, and this diversity of thinking usually becomes
a feature of their subsequent mathematical
development.
Young children initially understand a quantity as an
aggregate of single units.
Multiple experiences in counting help children
understand that the last number in a counting
 How Part-Whole Relationships Develops ...... (Cont’d)

As children come to understand quantity, they begin

to understand part and whole relationships and to
see many ways to use and represent numbers.
 For example: “There are 10 children here today. Four
of them are girls.”
This gradually leads to the child’s ability to see
relationships around increasing and decreasing
quantities.
Thus, when asked to combine two sets of objects,
they count the two different sets starting from “one”
to determine the answer (the counting-all strategy);
therefore, the development of number operations is
closely related to the way they learn to count.
 How Part-Whole Relationships Develops ...... (Cont’d)

As children gain experiences, they gradually develop

more sophisticated methods by abstracting the quantity
of one of the two groups (one of the addends) and
starting to count on (or count up, in subtraction) from
that number.
Children eventually become adept at decomposing
numbers into smaller chunks for the purpose of adding
and subtracting.
Nevertheless, preschool children’s fist experiences with
the concept of decomposition of a number into smaller
 How Part-Whole Relationships Develops ...... (Cont’d)

Learning the concept that groups or chunks of

numbers make up larger numbers supports the
understanding of arithmetic operations.

For example, children’s emerging understanding of

different ways the number 10 can be decomposed
into groups(e.g., 5 + 5, 4 + 6) contributes to their
future learning of multi-digit addition and
subtraction (i.e., the operation of making 10 and
moving it to the next position to the left of a multi-
5.3. Teaching Strategies That Support
Understanding Part-Whole Relationships
Teaching strategies that support understanding
part-whole relationships includes:
 Provide materials that can be grouped and
regrouped
 Model counting and comparing of objects in daily
experiences.
 Notice children engaged in numerical play and
describe what they are doing
 Engage informally with children during center time
to explore joining and taking apart small quantities
of concrete objects.
Teaching Strategies .........Part-Whole Relationships

Provide materials and plan activities that help

children understand that adding to or taking away
objects from a group increases or decreases the
number of objects in the set.
Examples of suggested activities & experiences
(Geometry )
 Make available materials that can be added or taken
away: unit blocks, colored blocks, beads, small animal
figures, plastic chips (poker chips).
Teaching Strategies .........Part-Whole Relationships
Involve children in solving simple addition and
subtraction problems.
Talk with children during routines and play, bringing
attention to when things are added or subtracted in the
environment.
Examples of suggested activities & experiences
(Geometry )
 Provide materials that children can use for addition and
subtraction: beads, blocks, shells, bottle caps, small
animal figures, plastic chips (poker chips).
 Introduce children to subtraction through songs and
finger plays such as “Six Little Ducks.”
 Model and encourage them to use their fingers so they can
visually see the results of subtraction.
Chapter Six: Geometry & Spatial Sense

6.1. Concepts of Geometry & Spatial Sense

6.2. How Knowledge About Geometry &
Spatial Sense Develops
6.3. Teaching Strategies That Support
Geometry & Spatial Sense
6.1. Concepts of Geometry & Spatial Sense
Geometry is the area of mathematics that involves
shape, size, space, position, direction, and
movement, and describes and classifies the physical
world we live in.

Children learn geometry when they explore:

shapes and spatial sense.

At around 4 years of age, children begin to identify
and use common shapes (i.e. simple two-
 Concepts of Geometry & Spatial Sense …. (Cont’d)

They have use individual shapes to represent

different elements of a picture of design.
As they get 5 years, children have able to identify,
describe, use and construct a variety of different
shapes, including variations of a circle, triangle,
rectangle, square, and other shapes.
They have combine different shapes to create a
picture or design.
 Concepts of Geometry & Spatial Sense .... (Cont’d)

Spatial sense is a child’s awareness of himself in

relation to the people and objects around him.

At around 4 years of age, children begin to identify

positions of objects and people in space, such as
in/on/under, up/down, and inside/outside.
At around 60 months of age, children expand their
understanding of positions in space, including
in/on/under, up/down, inside/outside,
beside/between, and in front/behind.
Concepts of Geometry & Spatial Sense .... (Cont’d)

Geometry offers students an aspect of mathematical

thinking that is different from, but connected to, the
world of numbers.
As students become familiar with shape, structure,
location, & transformations and as they develop
spatial reasoning, they lay the foundation for
understanding not only their spatial world but also
other topics in mathematics and in art, science, and
social studies.
Games and movement activities can be the keys to
spatial relationship awareness, such as
location/position (on/off, over/under),
direction/movement (up/down, forward/backward,
6.2. How Knowledge About Geometry & Spatial Sense
Develops
Geometry is the study of shapes and spatial
relationships.

Children enter preschool with a strong intuitive

knowledge about shapes, spatial location, and
transformations.

They learn about geometry as they move in space

and interact with objects in their environment.
From infancy they begin to form shape concepts as
How Knowledge About Geometry & Spatial Sense Develops

Before they can name and define shapes, very young

children are able to match and classify objects based on
shape.

During the preschool years, children develop a growing

understanding of shape and spatial relationships.

They learn the names of shapes and start to recognize the

attributes of two- and three-dimensional shapes.
They also develop an understanding of objects in
relation to space, learning to describe an object’s location
 6.3. Teaching Strategies That Support Geometry &
Spatial Sense
 What are some effective strategies for helping your
students improve their Geometry And Spatial
Relationships?
 Following are some recommendations teaching Geometry
:
• Provide numerous opportunities to see, touch, feel and
describe shapes.
• Encourage children to create and transform shapes and
observe and describe the results
• Involve children in exploring shapes to determine how
they are alike and different.
• Give children materials and opportunities to build
increasingly complex designs, pictures, and structures
using two- and three-dimensional shapes and
 Recommendations Teaching Strategies ………. (Cont’d)
Examples of suggested activities & experiences (Geometry )
 Have available a set of unit blocks that includes half unit,
unit, double, and quadruple unit, plus triangles, cylinders,
half circles, and other available shapes.
Ask children to locate and compare shapes found in the
environment.
Give a small group of children three shapes such as a half
unit, a triangle, and a half circle to explore, and discuss how
they are different.
Place blocks in a feely bag and ask a child to reach in the bag
and pull out the triangle. Ask the child how he knew it was a
triangle. Give each child a turn.
Add other types of blocks to the learning environment: nature
blocks, tabletop building blocks, and jumbo cardboard blocks.
 Cut out shapes of various sizes and colors and explain to
children that you are adding circles, rectangles, squares, and
 Teaching Strategies That Support Geometry & Spatial Sense

 Following are some recommendations teaching spatial

senses:
• Provide materials and plan activities that encourage children
to create spaces.
• Introduce the idea of a child’s personal or self-space; space
where they can move without touching anyone else, as they
are involved in music and movement activities.
• Use spatial vocabulary when talking with children Encourage
children to handle, move and view things from different
perspectives.
 Teaching Strategies …….. (Cont’d)
• Examples of suggested activities & experiences
spatial senses
 Include materials (climbing equipment, large empty
boxes, and tunnels) in which children can explore
spatial concepts such as over/under, up/down, and
in/out.
 Play music and movement games such as a direction
game with large cardboard boxes.
 For spatial vocabulary, tell a child to stand next to
or behind another child, or to put the puzzle on top of
the shelf.
 Play the “hide an object” game with preschoolers.
For example, hide a block somewhere in the room.
Let the children guess if you have hidden it over,
 Chapter 7: Measurement (Comparison)

7.1. Young Children's Interest in

Measuring

7.2. How Measurement Knowledge and

Skills Develop

7.3. Teaching Strategies That Support

Measuring
 7.1. Young Children's Interest in
Measurement
Measurement is one of the most widely used
applications of mathematics.
It bridges two main areas of school mathematics—
geometry and number.”
Measurement is finding the length, height, and
weight of an object using units like inches, feet,
meters, and pounds.
Offer children activities to identify and compare
attributes of length (longer, shorter), capacity
(holds more, holds less), weight (heavier, lighter),
and temperature (colder, warmer).
Time is measured using hours, minutes, and
seconds by reading time on both digital and
 Children's Interest in Measurement ...... (Cont’d)

At around 4 years of age, children begin to

compare and order objects.
 Children demonstrate awareness that objects
can be compared by length, weight, or
capacity, by noting gross differences, using
words such as bigger, longer, heavier, or taller,
or by placing objects side by side to compare
length.
 Children's Interest in Measurement ...... (Cont’d)

At around 60 months of age, Children expand their

understanding of comparing, ordering, and
measuring objects.
 Compare two objects by length, weight, or capacity
directly (e.g., putting objects side by side) or
indirectly (e.g., using a third object).
 Order four or more objects by size.
 Measure length using multiple duplicates of the
same-size concrete units laid end to end.
 Children's Interest in Measurement ...... (Cont’d)

Children love to compare, to see who has more, who can

jump the farthest, and who can build the tallest
building.
The ability to grasp concepts of time and distance is
based on children’s experiences and cognitive
development.
Children may think, for example, that it took a long time
to get there so it must be far away.
The goal for preschool children is to come to understand
 Children's Interest in Measurement ...... (Cont’d)

Making accurate measurements is not the

objective.
Early childhood teachers must carefully
observe and interact with children while the
children explore.
Over time, multiple and varied experiences
help children gradually develop
8.2. How Measurement Knowledge and Skills Develop

Measurement is an important way for young

children to look for relationships in the real
world.
Measurement involves:
 understanding length, width, distance and
time;
 placing objects in a series; and
 being able to classify and compare objects
Through playing, imitating, and learning to
use standard units of measurements, young
children explore and discover measurement.
How Measurement Knowledge and Skills Develop ...... (Cont’d)

By practicing measurement, they will learn how big or little

things are and how to figure that out.
Many daily activities involve measurement.
Here are a few examples:
 cooking, matching objects, comparing sizes of containers at
the sand and water table,
 measuring the number of steps it takes to get somewhere,
comparing and ordering objects according to their length
using terms such as longer and shorter,
 estimating and measuring length to the nearest inch and foot,
and
 linking cubes to find objects that are shorter or longer than
ten linking cubes.
8.3. Teaching Strategies That Support Measuring

Teachers can support children’s development of the

measurement foundations with the following:
Show children how to measure with non-standard
items.
 Provide measuring tools (e.g., rulers, scales,
measuring cups) for children to explore and use in
their play
 Explicitly discuss and model use of standard
measuring tools, using measurement vocabulary
 Engage children in cooking experiences
 Ask questions about measurement. (e.g., “How tall
are you?” “How much does that weigh?” “How
 Teaching Strategies That Support Measuring ...... (Cont’d)

• Encourage children to think about size and

comparison
 Introduce non-standard measuring tools such as
yarn, ribbon, blocks, paper towel tubes, and shoes
and involve children in using these tools to measure
things such as the length of a table, the circumference
of a watermelon, or the height of a block structure
 Encourage children to use nonstandard units such as
Chapter eight: Algebra (Classification & Patterning)

8.1. Concepts of Algebra (Classification &

Patterning)

8.2. How Knowledge About Algebra

(Classification & Patterning) Develops

8.3. Teaching Strategies That Support

Geometry & Spatial Sense
 Concepts of Algebra (Classification & Patterning)

• Classification involves sorting, grouping, or

categorizing objects according to established
criteria.
• Analyzing, comparing, and classifying objects
provide a foundation for algebraic thinking.
• At around 4 years of age, children begin to sort and
classify objects in their everyday environment.
 They will sort and classify objects by one attribute
into two or more groups, with increasing accuracy.
 Concepts of Algebra (Classification & Patterning)

• The term “attribute” is used here to indicate a

property of objects, such as color or shape, that
would be apparent to a preschooler and that the
preschooler could use as a basis for grouping or
sorting.
• At around 5 years of age, children expand their
understanding of sorting and classifying objects in
their everyday environment.
 They will sort and classify objects by one or more
 Concepts of Algebra (Classification & Patterning)

• Patterning is another way for children to see order

in their world.
• A pattern is a sequence of numbers, colors, objects,
sounds, shapes, or movements that repeat, in the
same order or arrangement, over and over again.
• “Patterns serve as the cornerstone of algebraic
thinking. . . . Recognizing, describing, extending,
and translating patterns encourage children to think
 Concepts of Algebra (Classification & Patterning)

• At around 4 years of age, children begin to identify

or recognize a simple repeating pattern.
 They will attempt to create a simple repeating
pattern or participate in making one.
• At around 5 years of age, recognize and duplicate
simple repeating patterns.
 They will begin to extend and create simple repeating
patterns.
 8.2. How Knowledge About Algebra (Classification &
Patterning) Develops
• Obviously, preschool is not the time to teach traditional
algebra, but this is the period when foundational algebraic
concepts evolve and gradually develop.
• Children observe the environment and learn to recognize
similarities and differences.
• They learn to sort, group, and classify objects.

• They learn to recognize ordering relations, such as large to

small, and to identify patterns.
• They develop the ability to make predictions, form
generalizations, and derive rules.
 How Knowledge About Algebra (Classification & Patterning)
Develops

• A younger preschool child is expected to show some

sorting of a group of objects, but not necessarily do
so completely or without errors.
• A young preschooler might sort farm animals but
remove only the cows and leave the rest ungrouped,
and there may be a pig or two or a horse mixed in.
• But an older preschool child might make a group of
all cows and a group of all pigs and a group of all
 How Knowledge About Algebra (Classification & Patterning)
Develops

• This competency is the precursor to many important

mathematics abilities that will come later (e.g., the logic
of what belongs in a set and what does not, grouping
terms in an algebraic expression, data analysis, and
graphing).
• Therefore, sorting is an area in which teacher facilitation
and modeling across a range of situations and contexts is
particularly important.
• The teacher should note that how a child sorts depends
 How Knowledge About Algebra (Classification & Patterning)
Develops

• Thinking about patterns is another important

precursor for learning mathematics in general and
for learning algebra in particular.
• During the preschool years, children develop their
abilities to recognize, identify, and duplicate patterns
and to extend and create simple repeating patterns.
• Children are already aware of many patterns in their
environments.
 How Knowledge About Algebra (Classification & Patterning)
Develops
• Gradually they learn through experiences about
relationships that create patterns.
• Opportunities to recognize and create patterns are
opportunities for higher-level thinking.
• They help children develop skills to predict, order
and create.
• As their knowledge grows, children transfer this
information to the real world to make
generalizations about numbers, counting and
problem solving.
• Early childhood teachers must frequently identify
patterns, because of their importance, and encourage
 8.3. Teaching Strategies That Support Algebra (Classification)
Develops
• Teachers can support children’s development of the algebra
(classifications and patterns) development with the following:
Engage children in activities that focus on classification and to
explain why they classified items as they did.
Provide materials that children can sort and classify by color,
by size, and by shape.
Examples of suggested activities & experiences (Classification)
 Blocks, Balls, Small cars in different shapes and colors and
encourage
children to label and represent their classification with a
descriptive vocabulary.
 Provide containers such as bowls, boxes, and baskets for
sorting and
classifying items.
Encourage children to make collections of items such as pine
Teaching Strategies That Support Algebra (Patterning) Develops
• Provide materials in the learning environment and plan
activities that encourage children to recognize, create, and
copy patterns; including visual, auditory, and movement
patterns.
• Provide materials and opportunities that lend themselves to
creating patterns
• Provide examples of patterns in nature, art, music and
counting.
• Look for opportunities to have fun with patterns
Examples of suggested activities & experiences (Geometry )
 Add items to the environment for children to explore:
manipulatives such as stringing beads, small multi-colored
blocks, interlocking cubes of different colors, pattern cards,
and items such as shells and other patterned items from
nature.
Chapter