KidSmart: an essential tool for mathematical education in nursery schools

This paper is part of a wide debate and critical reflection on the use of ICT in nursery schools, and focuses on the use of station KidSmart in the classroom to enhance scientific learning within the logical-mathematic field. The study is organized as follows: after presenting the institutional setting within which ICT has been introduced in Italian nursery schools, some considerations are made on the essential characteristics of mathematical education and on the relationship with physical reality through the mediation of ICT, highlighting in particular the pedagogic-educational value of ludicexperiental activities in an early learning context. After that, the characteristics of the KidSmart station are introduced, and some interesting results of the action-research experience aimed at scientifically controlling the conditions and introductory procedures of KidSmart in the field of experience ‘exploring, knowing and planning’ are given. Related conclusions round off this work.