ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the work related to children's understanding of symbols and explores about the practice of using manipulatives. Manipulatives take many forms. Some are objects that were designed for specific types of mathematics learning, such as Cuisenaire Rods and Dienes Blocks. What does the scale model task have to do with manipulatives? When used to support the acquisition of mathematical concepts, a manipulative is like the model of the room: it is both a concrete object and a symbol that represents something else—a mathematical idea. Many researchers have looked at whether manipulatives help children learn the mathematical concepts they are intended to teach. It is difficult to draw about whether they work overall, because there are so many different contexts and ways to use manipulatives. Teachers found the topic very interesting, as manipulatives are often perceived as a requirement for math learning in early childhood classrooms. Introducing new manipulatives should not be a one-time exercise.
