Don't Miss This Early Math Milestone

Seriation is a fundamental math concept and SO important in early numeracy.

It's the ability to order a set of objects in a specific sequence based on an attribute, such as size, quantity, or age, like this:

Or this:

This skill is meant to be developed BEFORE introducing quantity and number symbols.

It helps children to:

• Understand the concept of "more than" and "less than", patterns, and measurement.
• Develop logical thinking and the ability to compare and contrast
• Develop visual discrimination skills - the ability to perceive differences in size and shape

How Montessori Teaches Seriation

In the Montessori classroom, seriation is taught using many of the popular sensorial materials, including:

• Pink Tower
• Brown Stairs
  
• Colour Tablets
• Red Rods
• Knobless Cylinders

At home, you can work on this skill by:

• lining up stuffed animals or toys by size (cars, dolls, balls, etc)
• ordering items in nature by size or weight, like rocks, shells, leaves, etc
• making towers out of Duplo or Snap Cubes and arranging them by height.
• listing the members of the family by age (oldest to youngest or youngest to oldest)

Seriation Printable Activity

You can also use this printable with 14 sets of cards, all of which can be organized by different attributes - age, height, size, time etc

Recommended Age: 3 to 6 years old

Instructions:

1. Cut out each card in a row.

2. Start with the set you believe your child will be able to master the easiest. You can say, "We're going to put these in order of X - darkest to lightest, biggest to smallest, etc."

3. Lay out the cards in order and point out why you've arranged them in that order, "Look, I've put the balls in order from biggest to smallest. The basketball is the biggest, then the soccer ball, then the tennis ball, then the golf ball, which is the smallest".

4. Allow your child to have a turn, either with the same set or choose a new one.

Why Your Child Will LOVE This Activity

Seriation work isn't going to be a chore for your child!

It naturally appeals to a young child's sense of order. This will likely be a very enjoyable activity for them.