We adults often believe that the best way to teach others is to explain, but when it comes to learning about reality in children, the most important thing is to experience.
Our children are very active and want to explore the world through action, as well as a strong need for mental impressions. It is best when all this is accompanied by emotions, because they make the child remember the experience for a long time. These childlike qualities are a great basis for acquiring knowledge in practice.
We associate acquiring mathematical competences with a desk and what’s the truth, boredom. And it doesn’t have to be this way! Children gain their first mathematical experiences in many everyday situations, and we can use them to deepen these skills. Household chores are an integral part of our lives, let’s use them as a natural field for exercise. It may be cooking (measuring ingredients, weight), shopping (counting money, choosing the number of products), or even going to the store (counting trees, comparing distances).
We live surrounded by all kinds of rhythms, let them serve as a learning tool.
,,Early-developed ability to perceive regularity in life helps the child anticipate what he can do take place.”
L. Rożek
Rhyming texts of fairy tales, continuing rhythms, rhythmic exercises performed with the body, paying attention to the rhythm of day and night, seasons and days of the week will help in this.
Mathematical activities and games are a great way to develop these skills in an interesting and engaging way. Board games, number games, songs, blocks and puzzles are a great tool to introduce children to the world of mathematics.
Developing independence and making decisions – allow the child to independently solve problems (e.g. choosing the number of blocks for a building, determining which object is longer, larger, heavier, which set has more elements) – this supports the development of logical and mathematical thinking. Independently seeking knowledge is an extremely valuable experience for a small mind.
Let mathematics be fun, an experience, an element of everyday life, something useful and interesting. All these simple activities will build an excellent basis for future skills acquired at school.
Text: Marcelina Paszyńska
Source: L. Rożek, Edukacja matematyczna w przedszkolu, Szczecin 2011
E. Gruszczyk-Kolczyńska, E. Zielińska, Dziecięca matematyka. Edukacja matematyczna dzieci w domu, w przedszkolu i szkole
Photo: Ula Małek ig @ulamalek, ig@ jaelmom