ABSTRACT
The relationship between the images on the screen and the sets of toys on the floor or table should be emphasized throughout the activity to help the children appreciate the connection between the computer representation and the actual toys. There is no necessity for the children to have any prior experience of counting, sorting or using the computer to record their work. Although this is not essential, it will enhance the children's learning if the people are able to create categories which relate to the toys the people are sorting. Being able to change the way the information is presented on screen dynamically helps the children develop their understanding of the relationships between the real objects and, ultimately, abstract symbols. Building children's ability to visualise by associating the abstract and the concrete is something which computer programs used in this way can achieve well, provided the activities are scaffolded to help the children form these associations.
