Early Math Concepts for Preschoolers with Elizabeth Fraley Kinder Ready
It is much more than memorization of numbers; a good foundation in early mathematics is all about enhancing the logical thinking of the child, their ability to solve problems and their knowledge of patterns, relationships and quantities in the world surrounding them. These are the concepts that are fundamental in all subsequent learning in mathematics. Our philosophy of early math at Elizabeth Fraley Kinder Ready is similar to our whole program, based on the value of holistic and individualized approaches to learning. We will help preschoolers learn fundamental mathematical thinking joyfully and pressure-free through the playful, exploratory nature of Kinder Ready Tutoring, which will instil confidence and a sense of ability in them as they establish competence in basic mathematical thinking, and see themselves as potential mathematicians.
The first concepts covered in the journey include number sense and one-to-one correspondence. Number sense is the concept of knowing what numbers mean, knowing that 3 is actually a certain amount, rather than a word to memorize. Kinder Ready Elizabeth Fraley teachers acquire this through tangible experiences. During a tutoring session, the child could count three blocks to make a tower, have one snack on each plate and three stuffed animals, or connect numbered cards with collections of objects. Such one-to-one correspondence (touching one object to say each number word) is the key to meaningful counting. These are incorporated into the play, and therefore the learning process appears more like discovery than drill, and it is in line with the mission of exposing children to various methods of learning through manipulation, visual grouping, and verbal counting.
Patterns, sorting and classification exploration is another vital area. These activities build logical thinking and pre-algebraic thinking. Preschoolers get acquainted with how to distinguish and draw simple patterns (red-blue-red-blue) with beads, blocks or stickers. They use the sorting of sets of objects using different attributes such as size, colour, shape or type. Even in a Kinder Ready Tutoring session, an educator could give the child a mixed basket of buttons and ask them to sort them into various cups and ask, can you find another way of sorting them? This promotes thinking, openness, and observation. Comprehending these relationships assists the children in deriving a meaning out of the information, discerning order in the state of confusion, and achieving cognitive ability that they will need to solve more complex problems in future.
Lastly, we bring in elementary spatial knowledge and geometries with shape recognition and comparison. Children are taught to name and identify the basic shapes in their surroundings, and they know that a plate is a circle and a book is a rectangle. They start to compare the objects with the help of such words as bigger, smaller, longer, and shorter, developing the vocabulary of measurement. Elizabeth Fraley Kinder Ready applies these ideas to creative work, e.g. constructing more complicated structures with blocks shaped in various ways or making a collage of geometric cut-outs. This practical inquiry brings abstract concepts into reality. Being able to master these early concepts will give repeated chances to be successful, which is the most important in developing mathematical confidence. When a child feels that they are competent in sizes, in completing a pattern or in counting objects correctly, they will go into new tasks with an optimistic, can-do attitude.
For further details on Kinder Ready’s programs, visit their website: https://www.kinderready.com/.
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ElizabethFraleyKinderReady
