Communication is about sharing thoughts, questions, ideas, and solutions. The use of concrete materials and real-world examples provides many opportunities for thinking, talking, and listening - that is, communication! Talking with your child during this activity can help your child develop mathematical language and vocabulary.

A hands-on approach gives children the opportunity to touch and talk about the object they are manipulating, which leads to questioning - a vital way to facilitate learning. 

While they are doing this activity, we ask children to explain what they're doing, but also ask them why they're doing it, to get them to reflect on their own thinking. This is known as metacognition, which is an important skill for children to develop to become competent problem-solvers. We extend children's thinking during this activity by asking them questions such as: Is there a different way to do that? Is that working? If not, why not? 

Collaboration is about working together to reach a common goal. Teaching children how to collaborate, builds their confidence as a learner as they clarify and develop their ideas with others.

Working collaboratively brings a diversity of thought and different perspectives to an activity. Children need to understand that collaboration is also about making compromises to reach their goals. In order to solve a problem, children must share ideas and learn from their mistakes.

Interactions with others challenge learners to make sense of new ideas. When teachers and parents collaborate with emerging learners on a hands-on project like building a balance scale, we can demonstrate and model skills to work effectively and respectfully together.

The use of hands-on materials and manipulatives is an inclusive way to meet children's diverse learning needs. The use of multi-sensory materials allows children to represent their thinking in a range of different ways, and builds their mathematical learning through visual (sight), kinaesthetic (movement), and tactile (touch) experiences.

An understanding of mathematical concepts can originate from children's natural curiosity and everyday experiences. Children can gain an insight into the concept of mass through practical activities like designing appropriate measuring tools - that is, by making their own balance scales to measure and compare the weight of everyday objects.

Creativity involves trying new approaches, so making their own balance scales can foster a child's creative skills. 'Brainstorming' is another way to think creatively. We ask children to think of as many different objects as possible to compare and order masses.

Remember that failure is also part of the creative process, so we encourage children not to  give up if their balance scales don't work and to work out why it didn't work. Being adaptable and willing to change their design can result in more creativity and innovation!

Critical thinking involves looking at and solving problems in new ways. A hands-on learning approach involves the child in a total learning experience which enhances the child’s ability to think critically.

More interactive and activity-oriented teaching methods can increase children's academic achievement and understanding of mathematical concepts by manipulating objects to make abstract knowledge clearer and more concrete.

Critical thinking also involves making connections to and linking learning from other experiences. When children are provided with opportunities to explore an idea in different contexts, they gain a better understanding of mathematical concepts and relationships.