Intuitions of mathematical curves in young children's drawings.

ABSTRACT: How sophisticated is young children's comprehension of geometric lines, curves and patterns, and how can we probe it? We investigated early proto-mathematical intuitions by asking kindergarteners (N = 39, 25 girls, 66 months) and first-graders (N = 42, 20 girls, 76 months) to draw the prolongation of mathematical patterns. Children's drawings revealed an early yet partial understanding of key mathematical properties such as linearity, curvature, periodicity, and compositionality. These abilities were confirmed in a second task, where participants were asked to select the correct prolongation among six options, ruling out motor entrainment as an explanation for the drawing task. These findings highlight children's emerging intuitions of proto-mathematical concepts and underscore the potenti

SUBMITTER: Ciccione L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7618351 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature