Math is a big concept for children to understand and is a process that cannot be rushed or forced. In our classroom, we aid the child’s process of abstraction of Math concepts by providing the child with many exercises that introduce different, individualized qualities. We do not teach children math when they first enter the classroom at age 3 because they must first develop their “Mathematical Mind”. The development of the Mathematical Mind unfolds in the first year. When the child has developed a certain level of clarity in their mind, the child will be ready to learn mathematical concepts. Attending Montessori for the full three years is very important for a child’s progression in math as the third year is the culmination of all of the indirect preparations and foundational math work done in the first two years.
There are four different qualities to look for to know the child is ready for math:
1. The child can establish patterns.
2. The child can establish relationships.
3. The child has an orderly mind.
4. The child can classify his or her surroundings.
There are three important qualities of the math materials in the classroom:
1. The child comes into physical contact with a concept that will become abstract, thus the child can first physically touch and manipulate a concept.
2. Only one concept at a time is presented to the child, always building on a previous concept that has been learned. We will not overwhelm or pressure children, so they develop a love of learning.
3. There are controls of errors within each material enabling the child to discern a mistake has been made.
There are six different areas of our math program:
1. Numbers from 0-10
2. The Decimal System
3. Counting numbers 1-1000
4. Exploration and memorization of the tables
5. Passage to Abstraction (the ability to calculate and apply concepts without the use of concrete materials)
6. Introduction to Fractions
Math is a journey that begins during a child’s first year in the Casa and truly comes together in the third capstone year.