Every attempt to establish a teaching program for mathematical concepts in preschool education must answer questions such as: Why do we need mathematics at such an early stage of education? Can young children actually "do" mathematics? What kind of mathematics is appropriate for this educational level? Finally, what can enhance their interest in learning mathematics? This publication seeks to provide answers to these questions.

Modern research in mathematics education emphasizes that many mathematical concepts are formed and developed at ages before the first school grade. Children have the ability, for example, to count small quantities of objects, to distinguish basic geometric shapes, to classify objects based on one or two of their characteristics, and to add and subtract small quantities of objects.

They use mathematical ideas in their daily activities and often develop informal forms of complex mathematical knowledge. It is the responsibility of mathematical education to highlight these forms of knowledge, to systematize them, and to give them a clear mathematical content.

[Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the publication]