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Michale Children first learn math content and process skills informally. From infancy, they use mathematics in everyday activities and to solve problems. As stated by Vygotsky (1978), “children’s learning begins long before they enter school . . . they have had to deal with operations of division, addition, subtraction, and the determination of size. Consequently, children have their own preschool arithmetic, which only myopic psychologists could ignore” (p. 84). According to Ginsburg, an expert on early childhood mathematics (2006), “despite its immaturity, young children’s mathematics bears some resemblance to research mathematicians’ activity. Both young children and mathematicians ask and think about deep questions, invent solutions, apply mathematics to solve real problems, and play with mathematics. Clearly then, one of our goals should be to encourage and foster young children’s current mathematical activities” (p. 158). Children use math to help make sense of the world. Teachers need to build upon this natural interest, providing children with in-depth opportunities and time to use math materials and ideas (NAEYC/NCTM, 2002).
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