We marvel every day at the ingenuity and problem-solving skills of our young students. As we nurture their innate curiosity, we are often blown away by the rapid and immense growth that takes place year in and year out. On the cusp of a new school year, while you scour the shelves for multi-pack markers and pre-sharpened pencils, we are doing our own preparation! We love back to school season because it means bright new faces and limitless possibilities!
We stay sharp by doing our own research… in our field! We loved this article in the Seattle Times this weekend on how early learners are able to do math. Read on to learn more:
On a recent morning in South Seattle, Kristin Alfonzo challenged her preschoolers to make the number 7 using beads strung across two rows of pipe cleaners.
One 5-year-old boy slid four beads across the top and three across the bottom. Another did the reverse, and one kid pushed all seven on one row.
“I see many different ways of making 7!” Alfonzo said over the ruckus of kids counting out loud.
Preschools typically leave math for grade school, in the belief that 4- and 5-year-olds aren’t old enough to understand what 7 stands for. Decades of brain science now show that waiting is a mistake.
Even in the crib, research shows, infants can tell the difference between eight dots and 16 using an innate “number sense” we share with other species that helps us make some size comparisons without counting.
By the time they are preschool age, students like the ones in Alfonzo’s class can grasp simple addition — three beads plus four beads makes seven beads — even if they can’t yet write the equations.
They’re getting a strong start in math with games and playful activities that show all the ways they can use numbers and shapes to describe and measure differences and relationships between things.*
Ready to see just how far your young child can go this year? Enroll them in a Creative World School near you to receive the highest in educational standards from the best teachers in the world! Find a school year you: https://www.creativeworldschool.com!
*Read the full article: Seattle Times Education Lab