Why not put some fun into fractions? As I have expounded on in the past, math can start early in life and math doesn’t have to be boring. You can take math learning outside and even give the math lesson a cool Star Wars theme.
Gasp!
Yes, hold onto your seats, folks. It is possible for kids to love math. Yup, I said it. Make the math activity concrete, beautiful, and fun. That’s my top secret. Maria Montessori believes kids begin learning math concepts from extremely early on, like in then womb. True story.
“The child in the postnatal (or psychological) period of his embryonic life, absorbs from the world about him the distinctive patterns to which the social life of his group conforms….He absorbs in short, the mathematical part…..the little child’s need for order is one of the most powerful incentives to dominate his early life.” Dr. Montessori, The Absorbent Mind
Montessori Math Philosophy
Here are a few things Maria Montessori had to say about Math:
- Our brains are naturally drawn to precision, to organize, to compare, to create order out of disorder, to classify and to quantify patterns and relationships.
- Human beings are born with a propensity to naturally be driven to calculate, to reason and to create within their environments.
- Guidance and a well-prepared environment are needed, or the capacity to perform such thinking is eventually lost.
- A child’s environment & life experiences must lend to the innate mathematical mind.
- Exposing a child to these concepts early in his life is vital to the later development of more complex math concepts.
Spring Fractions Math Activity
In the spirit of making math fun and attractive to kids, I created this Spring Fractions activity as part of my Spring Activities Bundle. Children color in the petals based on the fraction given on the page next to the flower.
“The focus is not on the answer – it’s on how your child gets the answer. This is contrary to the usual way we operate in the adult world, where results are the primary goal to be reached.” ~ Michael Duffy, Math Works
Download Spring Fractions for Free
Related: Not to Be Missed Unique & Easy Montessori Spring Shelf Ideas
Montessori Math Materials You Might Enjoy
- Teach Your 3 to 7-Year-Old Math by John Bowman
- Montessori Short Bead Chain
- Montessori Math Activities from Montessori Services
- Fraction Circles
- Hundred Board
- Card Counters
Enjoy!
Marnie