ABSTRACT
We develop here the idea that functions, and more generally, relations, have a critical role to play throughout elementary school mathematics education. This claim is based on the notions that functions and relations are already implicit throughout the content of present-day elementary mathematics curricula, that they merit greater prominence in elementary education, and that they are accessible to young students. We argue that fostering students’ early understanding of functions and relations can deepen and integrate their knowledge about topics in the current curriculum, increase their ability to make mathematical generalizations, and better prepare them for a later, more formal introduction to algebra and functions.
