Young children are using stories to understand and practise mathematical concepts. Wendy Scott saw this approach in action at a primary school
Enacting dramatic scenarios can help young children to understand and use complex mathematical concepts.
Stories that engage children help them to grasp the purpose of mathematical activity and to practise their emerging skills, as well as sustaining their motivation.
Trisha Lee, artistic director of the theatre and education company MakeBelieve Arts, is fascinated by how young children learn. While participatory projects director at the London Bubble Theatre Company, developing expressive drama programmes for adults and children, she began developing work that was strongly influenced by Vivian Gussin Paley's way of teaching her kindergarten class at the University of Chicago. This involved encouraging children to tell their own stories, helping by scribing their words, and then enabling the children to act in each others' dramas around a taped-out stage.
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