Maths in the Montessori environment is already introduced during preparatory exercises in Practical Life and Sensorial.

When learning Maths the children are given physical representation of numbers in Montessori materials such as Spindles, Red Counters and Golden Units.

In this way, children understand the abstract properties of a number. For example, the number Three is represented by Three Spindles or the number Five is represented by Five fractions of a Number Rod. This gives them a physical impression of size and quantity.

The abstract representation of a number comes later once the children understand these physical properties.

By then the children will know what number 3 really feels like. And that’s just the beginning!