
Curiosity is an innate virtue in children. Children ask questions about the world in which they live and feel this great impulse to know how everything works. Childhood is an ideal time to tap into that innate curiosity and direct that enthusiasm toward science. The interests that children develop at an early age will determine the interests they will have later in life.
A study by the University of Ulster found that by the age of five, most children have formed a picture of the different sciences. Then, by the age of seven, they develop a positive or negative attitude towards science in general that will remain ingrained in them for a long time.
The same is true for mathematics. Along with language, mathematics plays a fundamental role. It is a key learning for the development of early intellectual skills in children. For this reason, there are more and more new and innovative methods for teaching mathematics that adapt the knowledge to the needs of the student. However, it is an academic aspect that often seems complex because of its level of abstraction. It is essential to know the advantages of both sciences.
Developing logical thinking helps to increase the intellectual capacity to acquire all kinds of knowledge. That is why it is very important that training begins at the age of three and is reinforced during schooling. Thanks to this, later on, we will be able to develop more complex thinking.
Early learning of mathematics opens the door to other learning through stimulation and the use of symbols.
Mathematics is an inevitable part of our daily lives. Therefore, the earlier children are introduced to mathematics, the earlier their capacity for autonomy is initiated so that they can cope with daily tasks. This will help them to manage money, schedules, homework or participate in different games.
Learning and exercising mathematics at an early age fosters the development of creative abilities through the induction of logical thinking and reasoning.
The very development of mathematical thinking involves the search for creative solutions. In this way, it increases the research capacity of children, who feel the need to constantly create and try alternatives.
Another of the great benefits of learning mathematics early is the increase in mental agility. This is thanks to the development of the ability to concentrate and logical relationships, which allow a quick reaction of the mind to interpret and solve problems.
When children acquire the ability to solve different exercises, the achievements become satisfying. Afterwards, the pursuit of this satisfaction and acquired security will make the person maintain a positive attitude in all areas.
It is very common to think that mathematics begins in Elementary School, but this is not the case.
Although it is true that it is in elementary school when the first addition and subtraction activities are taught, it is during the infant stage when the youngest children acquire the basic notions and structures that will be the foundation of mathematical logic.
This infant mathematical logical thinking begins with perceptual and motor schemes for the manipulation of objects. As a result of this manipulation, children form new and more precise schemes of the reality that surrounds them. These schemes help them to know each object individually and differentiate it from others.
Mathematical logic is present in the daily life of the Infant Education classes through various activities:
When sorting and classifying toys.
Through play, when they manipulate and explore the shape, texture, color or size of each object.
By creating shapes and giving them volume with plasticine.
When learning a choreography, as they learn about space (left and right, front and back or up and down).
Many Elementary School, Middle School and High School students struggle to excel in mathematics. This is a worrying fact, since mathematics is associated with a large part of school performance and with academic success at the following levels.
There are a number of tips we can adopt to help young children improve and even enjoy mathematics:
Science gives children a broader picture of how things work. It provides them with information about the world they live in, from the human body to the solar system. That knowledge will undoubtedly become the basis for acquiring new concepts, finding interrelationships and having, in general, a more complete perspective on their reality.
Science also enhances the processes of analyzing and synthesizing, two operations that are basic to thinking. In addition, they promote investigative skills. Young children learn to formulate questions and try to test the hypothesis following a method, which contributes to the development of logical thinking.
Science also encourages students to think on their own and reach their own conclusions, fostering free and autonomous thinking.
Science provides children with the opportunity to develop and practice skills and qualities that will be of great help to them in their future. It is a subject that teaches them to stay focused on a task and leads them to make decisions and draw conclusions based on their own observations and experiments.
Likewise, science stimulates their collaborative and teamwork skills, as well as their communication skills.
Children who learn about the Earth and living things will be more committed to caring for the planet. When they grow up, they will make rational use of natural resources.
Knowing firsthand the impact of environmental changes and human activity leads to the development of environmental awareness from an early age, fostering love and respect for nature.
There are different activities through which interest in science can be developed from an early age.