The core of mathematics is learning mathematical thinking activities, and developing good thinking qualities is very important in mathematics learning. This is particularly true for children in the learning stage, who should cultivate mathematical thinking from an early age. Through learning mathematics, they not only need to acquire mathematical knowledge, skills, and methods, but more importantly, they must receive training in thinking. This involves gradually learning thinking operations such as analysis and synthesis, abstraction and generalization, analogy and contrast, concretization, and systemization. The goal is to develop and enhance their logical thinking, intuitive thinking, and imaginative thinking abilities, making it easier for children to train and understand. There are many methods of mathematical thinking training. For children aged three to twelve, due to environmental and age factors, they can be further categorized into preschool children and school-aged children. Preschool children typically range from three to six years old, while school-aged children are from seven to twelve years old.
For preschool children, as they are quite young and their understanding is not yet mature, flexible learning methods are required. These methods should be capable of association and formation of imaginative training methods, similar to building blocks. On the other hand, school-aged children, who learn corresponding mathematics in school and whose understanding abilities have been improved, require structured yet flexible thinking training methods. However, existing devices related to mathematical thinking training are relatively simple in structure. They do not specifically target the mathematical thinking training of both preschool and school-aged children. Furthermore, the training is rigid, and it is difficult to store the training tools after use, which increases operational difficulty and does not enhance the interest of children in these two age groups in mathematical thinking training.
