Today is National Mathematics Day. Dr. Ramanujan was a pioneer of Indian Mathematics. Shakuntala Devi was natural with numbers as if she were born with it. Indians have been dealing with mathematics since ancient times. With the growing need to tap on to the intelligence of the kids by trying to catch them young, parents have always been trying to give their babies a sense of numbers, words and actions to boost their development.
Brain gyms are made by toy manufacturers to give the new borns a sense of the world that would be needed for their development. Eye-hand coordination, movements, rhythms, patterns and many such aspects are taken into consideration for toys.
The emphasis on numbers though starts from pre-school days and then in the primary years till adults – the early mathematical development cannot be ignored.
Take examples of patterns. The first evidence of logic and reasoning is manifested through the patterns. When anything occurs in the form of pattern – the babies are able to recognize that a cluster or a series is there in the pattern of sound or visuals. This is one of the most interesting aspects of learning which has been checked through various researches. Since babies cannot speak, numerous ways of detecting their understanding of the patterns was found out.
Another example of maths is music and pythagoras. It was noted by Pythagoras that when the blacksmith hit the iron sheet on the anvil, music was produced. The music depended on the impact and the distance of each strike. This got him to think of music and maths as coming together in the creation of music.
Find this to be too deep? Hold one chocolate in one hand and many in another. What does your baby lean towards? More, many and lots are numeric concepts that have already formed in the baby’s mind through everyday experiences. Sorting clothes, comparing less and more, classifying objects, directions and nursery rhymes with reference to numbers are constantly working in favour of the development of mathematical concepts in babies.
Studies by researchers have led to conclusive evidence that though abstract number concepts are learnt for many, the sense of number is an inborn trait. Read more: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/phenomena/2013/10/22/math-for-babies/
