Doing mathematics in kindergarten: Under what conditions?

In this article, we identify the didactic conditions for learning mathematics in kindergarten. To do so, we rely on the framework of the theory of didactic situations (Brousseau, 1998) and the notion of problem-situation (Douady, 1984). We first explain what constitutes for us the stakes of teaching mathematics in kindergarten and then, based on examples, we highlight the conditions related to the stakes of the pupils’ activity, to the characteristics of the situations proposed to the pupils and to the teacher’s interventions.