Originally produced by Videatives in 2014

Young children spontaneously pursue mathematical interests and questions during everyday play. It is important to understand that children are intrinsically motivated to explore mathematical concepts well before entering formal education. By understanding the mathematical problems that capture young children’s interest we are better able to create learning experiences that build upon and extend children’s developing mathematical knowledge. In the 10 clips that follow, you will see…How a 21-month-old child’s instinctual interest in establishing one-to-one correspondence and creating a relationship between two different kinds of objects is an early form of logic and a precursor to math. How toddlers engage in size estimations and enjoy testing limits by creating conditions where one object very nearly fits inside another. How preschoolers reveal their understanding of counting principles, what numbers mean, and their emerging strategies for counting effectively during an invented game with tiles. How young preschoolers define a sorting rule, classify objects, and discriminate objects that are simultaneously similar and different while working to sort a collection of materials. How preschoolers define the phrase, “How tall I am,” use their world knowledge to measure more accurately, decide what types of numbers make sense when measuring a person’s height (1, 7, 90), and find a concrete way to confirm the equivalence of their height. How a group of pre-kindergarten children investigate the relationship between slope and interval by rolling a ball down ramps, lined with wind chimes spaced apart. How two four-year-old children carefully apply their incomplete knowledge of the conventional number sequence, and the principle of one-to-one correspondence, while counting approximately 40 seeds, and the strategy they use when they are unable to recall what number comes after 29 in the counting sequence. How two four-year-old boys explore mathematical concepts by counting small sets of blocks and then combining them to double the count. How two five-year-old boys work to make a length of string taut, from the table to the floor, so imaginary animals can safely slide down. How the children are enticed to persist in their efforts by a string that is just barely too short, and how the children ultimately manage their problem. How a five-year-old boy is surprised when unequal weights can balance, and how he investigates this unexpected scenario

Mode of access: World Wide Web