Concrete experiences with math concepts and interactions with teachers have a direct impact on your children’s acquisition of mathematical skills.  When children manipulate materials in their classrooms and learning centers, they practice math skills.

For example, in block centers, children explore the differences in sizes and shapes of blocks, count the blocks in a tower and experience cause and effect when the tower tumbles down.

In the library center they find books that promote shape recognition and sequencing knowledge, and teachers may read stories that focus on problem solving or time concepts.

Our teachers are trained to facilitate the learning of math from the earliest ages. They make sure that the materials are accessible for children’s independent discovery learning and for intentional teaching opportunities with individuals, small groups and groups. Some examples of how children experience, practice and learn math skills in our classrooms:

Infants: playing with shape toys or different sizes of rings, singing counting songs, looking at pictures of matching items, choosing between two sizes of blocks presented by teacher.

Toddlers: using shape-sorting toys, stacking blocks, lining cars up by size or color, counting balls, gluing different sizes and shapes of materials.

Preschool: doing pattern-block activities, charting and graphing of siblings or pets, measuring ingredients for playdoh, counting and distributing plates for lunch, matching games with numbers and amounts.

School Age: creating calendars for monthly activities, playing games, developing class charts, conducting science experiments, and playing math mind twisters.

We hope you notice the Learning Purpose Notations for every activity on the weekly lesson plan in your child’s classroom. Our teachers insert the Cognitive & Math, Language & Literacy, Social & Emotional and Physical Development terms to help illustrate the opportunities for learning your children experience during activities and routines in “every room, every day” at Stepping Stone School!