- Definition
These are hands-on objects, like building blocks or counting beads, that children use to understand math ideas by touching and moving them.
Using toy cars to count to ten is using concrete materials to understand quantity.
How to teach this in 30 seconds
Try this analogy: Concrete materials are like toy blocks for math — you use them to build and show your number ideas.
Ask your child: How can you show me the number five using these blocks?
Common mix-up: Kids might think these are just toys for playtime. They are actually thinking tools that help make math ideas visible and easier to understand.
Examples
- Using blocks to show what happens when you add two more to a group of three.
- Sorting a pile of different coloured beads into groups by colour.
- Making a simple pattern with snack crackers, like cracker, cheese, cracker, cheese.
concrete materials is a term used in Ontario’s Kindergarten to Grade 8 curriculum.
Where this shows up
The descriptions on this page are SmartStudy’s own original, plain-language writing — not the Ministry’s wording. They are aligned to the Ontario Curriculum, © King’s Printer for Ontario. For the Ministry’s official wording, see the source link below. SmartStudy is an independent service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the Government of Ontario or the Ministry of Education. Ontario Curriculum and Resources ↗
