The Montessori environment prepares the child for mathematics through exactness and order in Practical Life, Sensorial, and Language work. The child begins with 1-10 work, learning the quantity and symbol – each in isolation – then together.
Progression to the decimal system occurs easily because of the young child’s enthusiasm for large numbers like 9999. The child continues through the formal process of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division in the Primary Class.