The Montessorial math materials truly demonstrate “ the science behind the genius.”
Through the use of Sensorial and Pre-math activities, the child absorbs basic concepts of seriation, gradation, classification, patterning, one-to-one correspondence, graphing and estimation. With the Montessori math materials, children as young as three can begin the process of numeral identification, writing and enumeration. These materials provide Materialized Abstractions which lead to the child's increasing understanding of relationships among numbers.
The child is then introduced to the hierarchy of numbers within the decimal system. After working with Golden Beads and place value, students explore mathematical concepts of simple and dynamic addition, subtraction, multiplication and simple and long division. Kindergarteners are introduced to fraction equivalences and addition.
Dr. Montessori believed that all infants are born with a mathematical mind and that exploration with these concrete materials supports the child's understanding of abstract math concepts; memorization of facts follows this understanding. The solid mathematical foundation built during early childhood has a positive impact on his/her math skills throughout the elementary, high school and college years.