The purpose of this study was to explore young children’s geometric cognition by means of figures. The participants selected from a kindergarten in Pingtung County, Taiwan, included 10 children from the first year class, 11 from the second year class, and 5 from the third year class. Researchers observed and recorded the children’s performance through activities and interviews. Seven activities applied in the study included three phases of manipulating objects, identifying figures, and constructing figures.
The study showed most of the young children described figures by their experiential perception, where only a small number of them could partly identify a figure’s attributes. For further future study, it is suggested that researchers examine children in their implicit and naive conceptions of geometry.
