Math is everywhere. From the number of unread emails in your inbox to the architecture around Austin, numbers, counting and shapes surround us. As young children learn about the world around them, they are seeking to make sense of such concepts. As early childhood educators, we carefully select concepts that children can successfully master and work to stretch their knowledge toward new growth.
In our classrooms, we begin with two basic concepts, shape recognition and counting objects. A teacher may point out, there is a red circle, blue square in the midst of play. They also count aloud during simple routines, such as passing out items, when children are lining up, etc. This exposes children to the most rudimentary concepts in a natural way. Children use blocks of all shapes and materials to explore geometric concepts. We have blocks in each classroom, even as young as the infant classroom. Classifying, sorting and grouping are all a part of early math skills. You will see counters and manipulatives throughout the classrooms for children to practice these skills. Also, we incorporate learning math vocabulary: before/during/after, top/middle/bottom, above/below, to name a few. Older children are ready for simple addition and subtraction, with hands on materials. They can use graphs and charts to track classroom activities. The list goes on and on.
We include numeracy throughout our program in our daily curriculum. Without the use of printed workbooks, we give children the foundations of real life math concepts that they need to success in their future learning.