OLYMPIC MATHEMATICS IN THE EARLY YEARS:

INTERDISCIPLINARITY AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF CRITICAL THINKING

Abstract

This article discusses Olympic Mathematics in the early years of elementary school from the perspective of interdisciplinarity as a pedagogical approach capable of re-signifying teaching and fostering the development of critical thinking. The objective was to analyze how interdisciplinary practices, articulated with the resolution of Olympic problems, contribute to meaningful learning and the integral formation of students. This is a qualitative, descriptive research, developed through an experience report in the context of the Timbirense Center for Mathematics (CTM), with a mixed class in the early years, specifically the 2nd and 3rd grades. Data production occurred through systematic observation of classes and reflective records of the teacher. The practices involved problem-solving, logic games, reading the book "Poemas Problemas" (Problem Poems), production of poems with mathematical content, riddles, and origami activities, integrating Mathematics and Languages. The results show that the interdisciplinary approach contributed to increasing engagement, strengthening intellectual autonomy, stimulating argumentation, and transforming the initial perception of difficulty into curiosity and persistence, consolidating Olympic Mathematics as a space for investigation, creativity, and human development from the early school years.