The mathematical mind has the tendency and ability of the human being to calculate reason, investigate, order, create, and measure. The development of this type of creative and logical thinking is paramount in all of the work we do. Mathematics is the exact science of dealing with quantities, magnitude, and form and their relationships and attributes. Mathematics is more about the logic of relationships, while arithmetic is the actual process of calculating and computing numbers. It is important for our children to learn to recognize number symbols and do arithmetic calculations, but this in itself is not enough. 

The beautiful Montessori manipulative math materials are designed to do just that. They give the child an opportunity to explore number quantities and mathematical concepts with real hands-on activities. Each new math concept is isolated and presented in a way that gradually moves the child from the concrete to the abstract. The teacher’s role is to present the materials, encourage the child to practice, and then observe the child’s discovery process. The teacher, thus, is able to guide each individual child through the logical progression of the math sequence, encouraging repetition, showing variations and extensions, and challenging the child with next lesson when he is ready for a new and more abstract concept.