Mathematics Area

Mathematics Area

To advance and to work the materials of the Mathematics Area, the child must manage to master the use of most of the materials of Practical Life and Sensorial. The reason for following this sequence is that it is these materials allow the child to normalize, that is to achieve a certain level of self-control, to develop the proprioceptive sense, and above all, to achieve work with order, concentration, coordination, and independence. Therefore, in the classroom of children from 3 to 6 years old, the first two or three months we concentrate on working with the materials of Practical Life and Sensorial and then introduce the most academic areas such as mathematics, language, culture, and science.

The children in this stage go from concrete to abstract reasoning, why the materials of Mathematics take this order of presentation. Dr. Montessori designed several materials that allow the child to master the basic mathematical concepts in a concrete way, leaving an imprint in the mind of the child that will allow him or her to understand later mathematical concepts with a high level of abstraction, such as the passage of a decimal category to another, (ten to hundred), basic mathematical operations dynamically (e.g. take a ten borrowed in subtraction), binomial, trinomial, etc.

Among the mathematical concepts that a child of 3 to 6 years of age learns working with materials from the Mathematics Area, we have numbering, quantity, fractions, position value and the basic operations of addition, multiplication, subtraction, and division.

The materials are presented in the following order:

Introduction to numbers

• Numeric beads and symbols (equivalence between symbol and quantity)

• Sandpaper numbers (the relationship between the name of the number and the symbol)

• Spindles Box

• Fiches and numerals (even and odd concept)

•             Memory games

The four operations with the decimal system: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division

• Golden Beads material

• Introduction to the decimal system

• Presentation tray with accounts and cards

• Formation of large numbers

• Bank game

• Simple and dynamic teaching: addition, multiplication, division, and subtraction

• Stamps Game, the four operations.

Count and numbers

• Tables of Seguin from 11 to 19

• Tables of Seguin from 11 to 99

• Board of 100

Basic concepts of:

Sum:

• Beads staircase

• Addition board

• Positive snake

Subtraction:

• Negative snake

• Subtraction boards

Multiplication:

• Multiplication with colorful beads ladder

• Multiplication board

Division:

• Division boards