Development of numerical understanding at preschool age

. The emergence and development of numerical cognition are fundamental to the formation of mathematical thinking, particularly during the preschool years. At this stage, children progressively acquire an understanding of the semantic content of numbers, their correspondence with quantities, and the ordered, stable structure of the numeral sequence. These early competencies form the basis for later formal mathematical learning and are widely regarded as strong predictors of subsequent achievement in school mathematics. Given the foundational role of early numerical competencies, systematic investigation of number-related skills before school entry is of both theoretical and practical importance. The present study aims to map and characterise the number-related abilities of children aged 5–6 years, approximately six months before the onset of formal schooling. The sample comprised 131 children in the final year of kindergarten. Participating institutions were selected based on availability. Within each kindergarten, children from groups preparing to enter primary school were randomly selected to participate in the study. During the study, a purpose-designed assessment instrument was administered to evaluate children’s numerical competencies across six task sets. The instrument measured: (i) comparison of quantities, (ii) recognition of quantity conservation, (iii) understanding of numerical equivalence, and (iv) application of simple arithmetic operations. Quantitative data analysis was conducted using Microsoft Excel and RStudio. Descriptive results indicate