Manipulative materials to develop classification and seriation concepts in Early Childhood Education

Abstract

Manipulative materials provide hands-on experiences for learning mathematical concepts in early childhood education. This review aimed to analyze the manipulative materials that support the development of classification and seriation skills in young children. A qualitative approach was adopted through a narrative literature review, with searches conducted in SciELO and Google Scholar. Publications in Spanish and English from January 2022 to October 2026 were selected if they addressed the use of these materials to develop one or both skills. The review identified materials such as logic blocks, beads, pom-poms, modeling dough, Cuisenaire rods, wooden sticks, recycled containers, and cards depicting figures of graduated sizes. These materials were used to group objects by shared attributes and to arrange them in order of increasing or decrease size, length, height, or thickness. The studies reported progress in recognizing attributes, forming groups, and establishing order relationships, along with greater participation among children. The review concludes that manipulative materials are suitable for teaching classification and seriation when they are selected in line with the learning objective and incorporated into activities with clear instructions and teacher guidance.