Helping young children explore math in a way that is fun and engaging can be a challenge. The animated series Peg + Cat for children ages 3-5 from PBS and the Fred Rogers Company is designed to inspire preschoolers’ natural curiosity about math and help them develop new skills and strategies for solving problems creatively in their daily lives. Through engaging characters, whimsical stories, and songs, the show celebrates math and the role it plays in everyday life.
Peg and her sidekick Cat grapple with all kinds of loony, loopy obstacles, under intense time pressure. They interact with one another in their own quirky, comical way. And somehow, they always find a way to use math to solve their problems and save the day.
Peg + Cat has four key learning goals:
1. Encourage children to see math as fun, cool, and worthwhile.
2. Broaden children’s understanding of what mathematical thinking involves.
3. Inspire children to approach problems with creativity, persistence, and humor.
4. Present children with a range of age-appropriate mathematical concepts and skills supported by leading early childhood math research.
NHPTV airs two back-to-back episodes of Peg + Cat weekdays at 12:00 and 12:30 pm beginning September 1. A companion website - pbskids.org/peg - features games and activities to help reinforce math lessons highlighted on the show and a free Peg + Cat App lets children practice math skills by creating their own songs.
