I had a sitdown in the sofa today with my seven year old boy talking about 6174 and how all those numbers end up there, as well as three digits with 495. I wrote a simple python sript that we could use to go through a lot of numbers to show this. We also talked about how many steps needed to reach those constants. Then we talked about if there were eight steps for any number and we improved the script further, but found none. Goodl talk and sofa-time ;-)

At that age, I think it is less about the material used and more about how the parent, guardian, and similar figures approach the material. Are they telling the child, be it directly, indirectly, or just through body language, that math is fun and safe or boring and scary? Once they are older, kids will seek out their own peer circle for approval while also forming their own opinions and personal preferences, but at that young an age it is more about associating math with positivity and giving the child positive attention when they engage in math.