Children may begin developing mathematical concepts as early as eight months of age. By two or three, they already possess a growing math vocabulary. The child asks for "more" milk a "piece" of pie, or talks about "one" of the blocks. Simple classifications of toys into different groups are the groundwork for more complicated sets and subsets in the future.

Young children need math experiences geared to their developmental level that do not demand abilities they have not yet acquired Children need to be able to see, feel, handle and manipulate quantities in a gamelike atmosphere.