Mathematics and children's construction in early childhood education

To what extent mathematics can be taught to young children remains debatable in early childhood education (ECE). Many educators believe that young children are encouraged not to learn mathematics because they are still in the pre-operational stage where they find it difficult to understand complex and abstract concepts like mathematics. As a result, teaching calistung (how to read, write, and count) during ECE in Indonesia is prohibited. On the other hand, some also believe that mathematics needs to be introduced at early childhood in which children will get various advantages from learning math. This chapter aims to explore the debate on the pros and cons of teaching mathematics in ECE. Using literature review as the tool, this article argues that the polemic of teaching mathematics in ECE illuminates the different constructions about children and childhood in Indonesia.