"Cuisenaire's wands" as an effective teaching tool

Cuisenaire's wands immediately come to mind as soon as parents begin to plan to seriously engage in the development of the baby. A long and often ineffective search for some teaching aids begins, and running around the shops.

But everything is so simple - here they are sticks. By the way, you can use any counting sticks, or even matches with pre-torn ignition heads and painted in different colors, instead of them.

This teaching material can be used in a variety of ways; diagrams for laying out can be found on the Internet. And it’s even better if these are spontaneous postings - then both thinking and creative imagination will be added in addition.

The purpose and objectives of the technique with Cuisenaire rods

As such, Cuisenaire sticks began to be used on the recommendations of a teacher from Belgium. He came up with thin blocks, painted in different colors, to teach children mathematical calculations and other activities. This visual and playful form was immediately supported by teachers in children's institutions of the country and went beyond its borders.

The main goal of the “Cuisenaire wand” technique was to teach mathematical operations in an effective form that is close to children’s understanding.

The tasks are varied:

this includes teaching numbers;
and the formation of ideas about counting and color;
development of cognitive interest in the subject of mathematics itself;
there is also the development of logic, thinking abilities, the formation of a non-standard type of thinking;
establishing the foundations of arithmetic skills and addition and subtraction skills.

As you can see, you can do a lot with sticks. And everything will definitely have a developmental effect on the baby, without burdening him with serious educational loads.

Advantages and disadvantages

There are many positive aspects, below are some of them:

There are many options on how to develop fine motor skills, thinking, and imagination;
Formation of conscious attention, perseverance;
Memory training, reactions;
The ability to use one teaching material for children of different age groups, changing only the wording of the tasks themselves;
Children acquire the skill of finding solutions independently.

Scientists could not find any disadvantages as such. Some sources indicate that the disadvantage is the need for the presence of an adult, since when playing independently, children quickly lose interest in such a game. We can say that all upbringing and training requires the participation of adults, so this minus should not be taken into account.

To achieve maximum results, you need to work with your child systematically. Proper encouragement and a variety of activities will also help in quickly mastering the basics of mathematics.

The advantage of the Cuisenaire Rod technique

With chopsticks it is convenient to perform a lot of different tasks and exercises, even sometimes not related to mathematics. As I mentioned above, they can be used to develop creativity, ideas about color, etc.

Thus, not a single child with Cuisenaire sticks will definitely get bored. I’ll tell you a secret, they really help me cope with various stressful life situations. You start working with them, and immediately all the anxious thoughts disappear somewhere. And before you there is an opportunity to create and be surprised, admire and rejoice.

Description of the set "Cuisenaire's Wands"

Sticks are not always and not exactly sticks. They're like little blocks, or even cubes if they're short. The size of the sticks is from 1 to 10 cm. In terms of quantity, there are simpler sets, including 116 sticks, and there are traditional classic sets with 241 sticks.

They are painted in 10 colors of different shades. For full-fledged lessons with a child, I prefer to choose a set with more sticks.

How to make sticks with your own hands

Buying a set is easier than making it, but parents do not always have this opportunity. Store-bought bars are bulky, but making them at home is very difficult. It’s easier to make flat ones for the baby. Instructions:

Prepare 10 sheets of colored cardboard. The shades must correspond to those listed in the previously presented table.

The strip sizes will be doubled. Width 2 cm, length – 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18.20 cm.

Mark the colored sheets by drawing rulers in the quantity you need.

Cut the cardboard into colorful strips with sharp scissors.

History of the Cuisenaire Rod technique

As has already been said, a Belgian teacher named George Cuisenaire, having noticed that it is difficult for elementary school students to perceive arithmetic material in class, even when the explanation is given in great detail, literally everything is shown and told.

And then he thought that it would be better to show each example clearly. Then the idea was born to create Cuisenaire rods, which began to be used even in teaching mathematics in preschool age.

D. Cuisenaire recommended not only using sticks as a visual teaching aid for solving assigned problems, but also using it in a playful way.

Cuisenaire built his concepts based on the works of Maria Montesori and Friedrich Froebel.

The author of the manual released recommendations in the form of instructions, and later the book “Numbers and Colors” appeared. A whole range of game tasks with sticks is offered here. At first, children can perform these tasks under the supervision of parents or other adults (teachers, educators), and later, when they understand the purpose of this didactic material, they can use them independently.

A little history

The manual attracts children not only with its versatility, but also with its bright design.

A mathematical manual (1952) by the Belgian mathematician George Cuisenaire is based on the visual-tactile mastery of abstract concepts such as set, order and identity. By the way, we owe the popularization of the manual to Cuisenaire’s colleague, the French mathematician and philosopher Caleb Gatenot, who began to use the “numbers in color” manual (“counting sticks”, “colored rulers”, “colored sticks”, “Cuisenaire sticks”) when studying mathematics and language.

At what age should Cuisenaire rods be used?

Each set of sticks comes with instructions indicating that this teaching material can be used in classes with children aged three years and older. However, if parents are nearby to supervise, then you can start using the kit at an earlier age, for example: 2 or 2.5 years.

But if at first it is only a game material, as well as a tool for the formation of color ideas, then as a didactic tool for learning numbers, Cuisenaire sticks are used in older preschool age.

An interesting remark by some teachers is that if you use Cuisenaire sticks to teach mathematics at an early age, then the child will perceive the activity with them simply as a game even in the older period.

Therefore, some recommendations are given that they should not be used for the game, but replaced with cubes and pyramids, which perform the same educational function for learning colors.

Opinions differ on this matter.

As for me, I also wouldn’t risk giving a child chopsticks at too early an age for another reason, because the child might put it in the wrong place or hurt something by accidentally poking it. Well, that’s it, my retreat.

Rules for using Cuisenaire sticks

Like any teaching aid, you can practice using chopsticks, gradually complicating the tasks for your child.

The first stage is playing with colors

Depending on the age of the child, chopsticks are used differently. At the age of 2.5-3 years, Cuisenaire's rods are simply laid out, grouped by color and length. You can complicate the tasks - offer to collect groups of three sticks of different colors (red, blue, green) and collect three such groups, for example.

Picture 1

At 2-3 years old, a child will already be able to lay out paths, alternating sticks by color. Also, the paths can be laid out according to a certain pattern: red - white, red - white. Or red-white-blue-white-red. There will be a blue stick in the middle.

Figure 2

Second stage - adding size

Then tasks are carried out to teach sizes. Select sticks of a specific size into one group, a different size into another group, and the smallest ones into a third.

Figure 3

It is possible to arrange pyramids according to size. The longest stick is placed on the bottom, a shorter one on top, and the shortest one on top.

Figure 4

The third stage - color plus size

Now tasks are being invented so that Cuisenaire sticks are used in both color and size. Select all the red sticks in one group, the blue ones in another, the green ones in the third (see Figure 1).

Next, select sticks of the same color but different sizes and build a pyramid, as in the example of the second stage in Figure 4.

A more difficult task is to build pyramids, alternating the color and size of the sticks as in the picture.

Figure 7

We complicate the task and give a diagram according to which it is necessary to arrange the Cuisenaire sticks. It could be a house, a Christmas tree or something else.

Figure 8

Or you can even make a gorgeous carpet out of sticks.

Figure 9

Such tasks help develop attention, imagination, and most importantly, fine motor skills. I continue the logical chain - what does the development of fine motor skills lead to?

That's right, it stimulates special areas of the brain responsible for speech development. Here we come again to the theme of our site.

Kusener sticks and Dienesh blocks. What it is?

Irina Yamalieva

Kusener sticks and Dienesh blocks. What it is?

Kusener's sticks

George Cuisenaire (lived 1891–1976)

— Belgian teacher. For a long time he worked beneficially as a primary school teacher. Working with children, I began to gradually develop and implement my own methodology for teaching children mathematical abilities.

Cuisenaire was a supporter of the idea that a child learns educational material much easier if it is in front of the child’s eyes, as a visual aid. And it’s even better if you can touch it and carry out some manipulations, for example, play.

Here the idea was born, and then its implementation in the form of sticks , which he himself came up with based on the ideas of Maria Montessori and Friedrich Froebel.

This material is a set of counting sticks (another name is “numbers in color”, “colored sticks” )

10 different colors and different lengths from 1 to 10cm.
The composition of the set is not random, but is a complex mathematical set. Each color and each length corresponds to a specific number. For example, white stick pink stick orange stick the sticks in the set differ in three ways: color, length and the number to which they correspond.
In addition, the color of the sticks is also not accidental . All sticks in the set are distributed according to color families, each of which includes sticks united according to a certain ratio in their size. For example, the “red family” consists of sticks of pink , red and burgundy colors, and corresponding to the numbers 2,4 and 8, that is, numbers that are multiples of 2. “Blue family” – sticks of blue , violet and dark blue colors, corresponding to the numbers 3, 6 and 9 , that is, numbers that are multiples of 3. The “yellow family” includes yellow and orange sticks

The age category of children practicing with these sticks is from 1 to 7 years .

What can you teach a child? The main purpose of the Cuisenaire set is to help the child become familiar with mathematics. However, with its help, the baby will be able to master much more. He will be able to learn: to compose colored numbers and letters, while comparing symbols with concepts; distinguish how objects are located in space (in front and behind, right and left, between, middle, below and above)

;
mathematical concepts (number, figure, figure, greater and less, equal, etc.)
; basic mathematical skills: addition and subtraction;
disassemble numbers into components; understand what quantity is , how numbers and numbers relate;
determine the previous and next numbers for the current one within the first ten. Dienesha blocks

Dienesh blocks are a set of 48 figures of different colors, sizes, volumes and sizes. Each of the figures in the set is unique. Games with Dienesh blocks are aimed at developing basic mathematical concepts for children from 2 to 8 years old. With their help, you can study the characteristics of objects: colors, shapes, volume, size.

How to work with Dienesh blocks . Classes take place in several stages. Dienesh developed his methodology taking into account the psychological aspects of young children, so there is no need to be afraid that it will be too complex for the thinking of a preschooler. The following stages of development of mathematical abilities are distinguished:

Free play. The goal is to teach the baby to solve unfamiliar problems using the “trial and error”

, trying different options.
The baby smoothly switches to playing according to certain rules. As classes progress, basic information becomes familiar, for example, “which shapes are the same
. Discussion, comparison of the content of mathematical games. It is necessary to select different options with related rules, but different game materials. Familiarization with the content of numbers. It is recommended to use maps, diagrams, tables.

The last stage is the longest and is suitable for older preschoolers. It should offer different cards with definitions of rules that help to come to specific logical conclusions. Gradually, the baby will become familiar with such concepts as theorem and axiom.

Games with Dienesha blocks

We sort blocks by the presence of one characteristic

It is important to teach your child to identify and recognize individual properties of shapes. During the first games, focus the child’s attention on only one property, for example, color or shape.

Place two toys in front of the baby, for example, Bunny and Teddy Bear, and say that Bunny loves round cookies (the cookies will be Dienesh's logic blocks , and Teddy Bear's will be square. Let the baby divide the figures between the toys according to their preferences.

Similarly, you can sort shapes by color, size, thickness. The property of thickness is usually the most difficult for a child to learn, so tackle it last.

We sort the shapes according to the presence of two characteristics

When your child copes well with the previous task, try adding another property for sorting.

This time the figures can be seeds that need to be planted in the beds. We plant all the red and large seeds in one bed, and the blue and triangular ones in the second.

Sorting blocks using logical cards

The next step is to develop the ability to encode and decode information about shapes using logical symbols. That is, if until now you have set the child the conditions for sorting by words, now the child will learn to establish a relationship between the property of the block and its graphic image.

Unfortunately, there are no in the set of Dienesh blocks You can make them yourself. Introduce logic cards into the game gradually, explaining to your child what this or that symbol means.

For example, invite your child to sort the figures into two groups (don’t forget to somehow play up the task; the blocks can become passengers who need to be seated in two different cars). For each group, place one or two logic cards. For example, next to one group place a red card and a triangle (this means you need to pick up all the red triangular shapes here, next to the other - cards with a circle and a small house (we pick up small round shapes)

Sorting blocks by logical cards

In classes with Dienesh blocks, cards are used , which contain information in symbolic form about the characteristics of the figure (size, color, shape, thickness)

: color is indicated by a spot size - silhouette of a house
(large, small)
.
shape – outline of figures (round, square, rectangular, triangular)
.
thickness - a conventional image of the human figure (thick and thin)
.
In addition to cards that depict the properties of a figure, there are cards with the negation of properties: for example, “not blue.”
We select cards for the corresponding figures

Try the reverse task too. First, sort the blocks according to some verbal condition. Let’s say you suggest placing all the figures in two houses (thick ones in one house, thin ones in another)

.
After the child completes the task, offer to “sign”
each house with a card so that the residents do not mix up their houses. Help your child choose suitable cards from several offered

We sort blocks by the absence of one attribute

Invite your child to sort the shapes into non-round and non-square. At the same time, draw the child’s attention to the fact that some blocks (for example, triangular)

they can come here and there. Don’t forget to enliven the game with some kind of plot (for example, a kitten is planting flowers in flower beds - in one flower bed there are NON-round flowers, and in the other NON-square).

Sort by the absence of two or more features

If the child succeeds, then you can offer to sort the blocks according to the absence of two or even three signs at once. And the most advanced level is sorting by the presence of some characteristics and the absence of others.

Sorting by absence of attribute

Finding similarities and differences

Place several plates on the table in front of the child and explain that in each of them you need to put two blocks of the same shape . Let the baby decide on his own what the shapes will be (for example, he can take two round blocks of any color and size). In this task, the main task facing the baby is to identify one common property in the figures, regardless of all the others.

The next step is to try to establish the difference between the blocks . So, invite your child to put two figures of different colors/shapes/sizes/thickness in each bowl.

And finally, the most difficult version of this task looks like this: put two blocks of the same size but different shapes in one bowl; the same shape and the same size; different shapes and different sizes, etc.

“We are relocating residents”

in the house. For each room we set a condition

This task is similar to games with logic cards. The child needs to place the figures in the house, taking into account the conditions given for each “room”

.
If you are just learning to understand the meanings of images, one condition will be enough, but for more “advanced” people
you can draw three conditions in one room.

Assembling a path/bridge according to given conditions

Tell your child a story about how between the houses of your toy friends (for example, Bunny and Teddy Bear)

The bridge broke down, which is why now they cannot visit each other.
Offer to build a new bridge. But it will not be simple, but magical. On this bridge, each brick can be laid out only according to a special rule: you set a condition for each block using 1-2 logical cards, and the baby lays out the figures in a row.

Age 4-5 years with Cuisenaire sticks

Middle and then senior preschool age is a fertile period for introducing preschool children to mathematics. Now, with a slight movement of the hand, Cuisenaire's sticks turn into real educational didactic material, with the help of which the teacher introduces children to counting and arithmetic operations.

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