Arithmetic involves movement. In Class 1 the children experience the totality and the individuality of numbers. Whole numbers are introduced with emphasis on their archetypal character – one means unity, two is a duality and so on, using pictures familiar to the child’s world (the sun, parts of the body, petals of flowers, etc.). Then come the four basic arithmetical operations and their different qualities, always going first from the whole to the parts. The symbols are introduced in a pictorial way. Rhythmical counting, recitation of tables, number bonds up to twenty and mental arithmetic are all practised intensively in the early years. This gives the children an experience of movement in mental activity, which complements the way the letters of the alphabet are introduced.
