Math Activity For Preschoolers: Growing Flowers And Identifying Numbers

Learning Outcomes for Preschoolers

1. Part A: Mathematics activity 1

1. Description of the activity including a photograph (maths concepts, resources, environments that play experience took place, child age)

 Sally is about three years old and looks well-adjusted in the class. She makes her way to the activity table and listens to what the teacher is saying as she tells them about an exciting game about numbers. There is a big brown sticky board with green stems and leaves pasted onto them. There are big circles or pistils at the top of the stem with numbers marked 1, 2, 3,4, and 5.  

 The teacher tells them that they are going to grow flowers on each stem and shows them to pick up some colored petals from a box and place them around the pistil, but as per the number. She asks a child to come up and past the petals after saying the number loud and clear. Sally listens to her teacher and observes what the other child is doing on the brown board.

When Sally’s name is called out, she gets up and walks to the board confidently. As she has to grow flowers for pistil number 3, she picks up three petals, counts them as the teacher instructs, and pastes them on the board. Everyone, including other children, clapped for her, and Sally returned to her seat very happy and pleased with herself. She took a keen interest in what other children were doing, watched them with great interest, and clapped for them when asked by the teacher.

1. Connections to the ELYF/ ACARA

Learning Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved learners

4.1 Children develop dispositions for learning such as curiosity, cooperation, confidence, creativity, commitment, enthusiasm, persistence, imagination and reflexivity.

4.2 Children develop a range of skills and processes such as problem solving, inquiry, experimentation, hypothesizing, researching and investigating.

4.3 Children transfer and adapt what they have learned from one context to another.

Learning Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators

5.1 Children interact verbally and non-verbally with others for a range of purposes.

5.2 Children engage with a range of texts and gain meaning from these texts.

5.3 Children express ideas and make meaning using a range of media.

5.4 Children begin to understand how symbols and pattern systems work (Aussie Childcare Network, 2015).

1. The kind of interaction that occurred and implication for learning

Sally was wholly engaged and attentive during the math activity in the classroom. She used her thinking skills to understand the concepts of numbers and applied her logical thinking when performing the activity. She was able to count the number successfully and follow her teacher’s instructions.

 She expressed great interest in the activity and was eager to participate. She wanted to go back and repeat the activity with other numbers and was eager to help out her friends. Piaget’s theory reflects that intellectual development occurs at distinct stages, and the child’s way of thinking differs at different stages. He proposed that the development of intellectual abilities occurs in a series of relatively distinct stages and that a child’s way of thinking and viewing the world is different at different stages (Marwaha, Goswami & Vashist, 2017). Sally shows complete focus on the activity and takes great interest in the number of petals.

Sally’s Experience with the Math Activity

According to Chigeza & Reesa (2016), the EYLF echoes an all-inclusive method to learning and development entrenched in play-based environments that includes a wide range of learning outcomes. Teachers should ensure that the class space should express a set of all-inclusive play-based goals for students learning and care (Makovichuk et al.,2014).

1. What next? Include a photo or illustration

5. Mathematics activity 2

1. Description of the activity including a photograph (maths concepts, resources, environments that play experience took place, child age)

Harry is about five years old and sitting quietly at his desk, which he shares with one other classmate. Some crayons are placed at the desk along with two worksheets with circles and different numbers from 1 to 10 written inside. He looks around and stares at his worksheet. He listens carefully to the teacher, who shows them what they need to do for the math activity. His expression changes when he sees the rolling dice and looks at his  classmate with excitement.

He rolls the dice and identifies the number, but he consults his bench mate as he is not very sure. Once they are sure that they have identified the number represented on the sheet, Harry starts coloring the dot on his page. The number activity is very easy and an excellent way for children to learn numbers and develop number sense. He taps on his classmate’s shoulder and point to the rolling dice and his colors. Harry is very eager to complete the activity and talks to his classmate.

1. Connections to the ELYF/ACARA

The Early Years Learning Framework is an important resource for early childhood learning and focuses on a shared curriculum in the early childhood field (Australian Government Department of Education, 2010).

Learning Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved learners

1. 1 Children develop dispositions for learning such as curiosity, cooperation, confidence, creativity, commitment, enthusiasm, persistence, imagination and reflexivity.
2. 2 Children develop a range of skills and processes such as problem solving, inquiry, experimentation, hypothesizing, researching and investigating.
3. 4 Children resource their own learning through connecting with people, place, technologies and natural and processed materials.
4. Learning Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators
5. 1 Children interact verbally and non-verbally with others for a range of purposes.
6. 2 Children engage with a range of texts and gain meaning from these texts.
7. 3 Children express ideas and make meaning using a range of media.
8. 4 Children begin to understand how symbols and pattern systems work (Aussie Childcare Network, 2015).
9. The kind of interaction that occurred and implication for learning

Harry, as a learner, showed deep interest in the activity and was eager to finish the worksheet. He demonstrated many skills such as good communication with his classmate, using his body movement and motor skills as he interacted with his class and finished his worksheet. However, he was a bit hesitant at first to communicate his thoughts but was having fun while rolling the dice with his friend and coloring the number dots. He was completely absorbed in himself and concentrated on the activity at times. He is a keen learner and participates actively in the classroom activity.

Preschool is the stage when the young toddlers are beginning to observe their environment and recognize numerals within their surroundings. For example, they may see their house number or school bus number and car number plates on their way to school. Thus, children in this age understand what numbers and shapes are about and understand that there is connection to them (EYLF, 2021) 

Harry uses both body gestures and facial expressions to communicate with his classmate. Russian psychologist Vygotsky mentions a pre-speech phase in the development of intelligence. He showed how children communicated without speech and used symbols and signs such as facial expressions, gestures, and movements. The communicative vocabulary of the child sees a rapid increase at this stage (Vasileva & Balyasnikova, 2019). Any kind of physical, mathematical activity has health benefits that are interceded through bodily fitness level, according to Reiner & Christina (2013). The physical activities space also involves challenges, tumble play, heights, speed, and testing limits and thus is beneficial to the children  (Spencer et al.,2021). Physical activity should promote health benefits for students by minimizing sedentary time (Tremblay et al., 2011). EYLF  framework recognizes children as competent learners and respects them as resourceful assets for the country (ACARA, 2021). Teachers of preschool math  must capitalize on spontaneous activities for young children and  further their knowledge of mathematical concepts related to numbers, geometry, measurement, and comparing data (Scholastic Inc., 2021).

1. What next? Include a photo or illustration 

References  

Australian Government Department of Education. (2010). Educators Belonging, Being & Becoming. Commonwealth of Australia, 1(1), 1–147.

Beck, M. M., Lind, R. R., Geertsen, S. S., Ritz, C., Lundbye-Jensen, J., & Wienecke, J. (2016). Motor-enriched learning activities can improve mathematical performance in preadolescent children. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 10, 645-645. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2016.00645 Link

ACARA. (2021). Foundations for Learning : Relationship between the Early Years Learning Framework and Australian Curriculum. .acara.edu.au/re, 1(1), 1–36.

Aussie Childcare Network. (2015). EYLF Learning Outcomes. aussiechildcarenetwork, retrieved from https://aussiechildcarenetwork.com.au/articles/childcare-programming/eylf-learning-outcomes

Chigeza, P., & Reesa,S. (2016). Australian Journal of Teacher Education. Kindergarten Children Demonstrating Numeracy Concepts through Drawings and Explanations: Intentional Teaching within Play-based Learning, 41 (5), pages. https://dx.doi.org/xx.xxx/yyyyy

EYLF. (2021). Being numerate. wudinnakgn.sa.edu.au, retrieved from https://wudinnakgn.sa.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Being-numerate.pdf

Flevares, L. M., & Schiff, J. R. (2014). Learning mathematics in two dimensions: A review and look ahead at teaching and learning early childhood mathematics with children’s literature. Frontiers in Psychology, 5, 459-459. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00459

Gerholm, T., Kallioinen, P., Tonér, S., Frankenberg, S., Kjällander, S., Palmer, A., & Lenz-Taguchi, H. (2019). A randomized controlled trial to examine the effect of two teaching methods on preschool children’s language and communication, executive functions, socioemotional comprehension, and early math skills. BMC Psychology, 7(1), 59-59. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-019-0325-9

Hart, S. A., Ganley, C. M., & Purpura, D. J. (2016). Understanding the home math environment and its role in predicting parent report of children’s math skills. PloS One, 11(12), e0168227-e0168227. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0168227

Makovichuk, L., Hewes, J., Lirette, P., & Thomas, N. (2014). Flight: Alberta’s early learning and care framework. Brunswick: University of New Brunswick.

Marwaha, S., Goswami, M., & Vashist, B. (2017). Prevalence of principles of piaget’s theory among 4-7-year-old children and their correlation with IQ. Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research, 11(8), ZC111-ZC115. https://doi.org/10.7860/JCDR/2017/28435.10513

Piasta, S. B., Pelatti, C. Y., & Miller, H. L. (2014). Mathematics and science learning opportunities in preschool classrooms. Early Education and Development, 25(4), 445. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2013.817753

Reiner, M., Niermann, C., Jekauc, D., & Woll, A. (2013). Long-term health benefits of physical activity–a systematic review of longitudinal studies. BMC public health, 13(1), 1-9.

Raghubar, K. P., & Barnes, M. A. (2017). Early numeracy skills in preschool-aged children: A review of neurocognitive findings and implications for assessment and intervention. Clinical Neuropsychologist, 31(2), 329.

Spencer, R. A., Joshi, N., Branje, K., Murray, N., Kirk, S. F., & Stone, M. R. (2021). Early childhood educator perceptions of risky play in an outdoor loose parts intervention. AIMS public health, 8(2), 213–228.

Scholastic Inc. (2021). Preparing for Preschool Math. scholastic.com, retrieved from https://www.scholastic.com/parents/school-success/school-life/grade-by-grade/preparing-preschool-math.html

Tremblay, M. S., LeBlanc, A. G., Janssen, I., Kho, M. E., Hicks, A., Murumets, K., & Duggan, M. (2011). Canadian sedentary behavior guidelines for children and youth. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 36(1), 59-64.

Vasileva, O., & Balyasnikova, N. (2019). (re)introducing vygotsky’s thought: From historical overview to contemporary psychology. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 1515-1515. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01515

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