Education for a Lifetime

When you send your son or daughter to a child care program, the program may offer a lot more than just babysitting. A child care setting with Montessori principles will help your child learn naturally and thrive at a young age. As they play and interact in class, preschool children will also learn basic core subjects, like math.

While a child may not come home with completed worksheets or math problems, they will learn math through a lot of Montessori-based learning. Check out three of the ways your child will naturally build their math skills at a day care center.

1. Natural Play

A child will build up their math skills through a lot of natural play. A Montessori classroom will often feature toys that encourage natural math development. For example, a child may use a sorting toy that allows them to sort objects into different piles and count along the way.

Other toys may include sets of blocks or figures that a child counts with. The physical nature of the toys allows a child to associate physical play with math-building skills and can make a difference in the way they master numbers and content.

2. Counting Toys

Some items in a Montessori classroom are designed specifically for math. Your child may play with a classic abacus. The toy includes rows of colorful beads that a child can push back and forth. A teacher may engage a child in math questions or a child can discover the abacus on their own and learn at their own pace.

Other toys may include small bins with labeled numbers on the design. Children may sort wooden sticks or small toys into the boxes. For example, a child would put three objects into a box labeled "three."  Through the activity, a child will learn how to count and sort.

3. Integrated Activities

In a Montessori classroom, many subjects will integrate with each other to create a natural learning process. For example, a child may build a puzzle of a world map. Through the map, a child will learn to count the puzzle pieces, sort out colors, and learn about different country shapes. The layers of learning will help build a child's mind and create natural learning.

Along with puzzles, a child may read books that involve math or participate in group activities where math is used to solve problems and play games.

When you check out a Montessori child care center, look into the classroom's math features to see all the options available.