When I first heard that some schools are introducing algebra in first grade, I was THRILLED! No, it's not expecting your child to move faster. It's saving time later.
Your first grader will have problems like:
2 + 3 = ___
But what if it looked like this instead:
2 + 3 = n. Find n.
That's the same problem, simply substituting a variable for the blank space.
That makes it easier to understand
2 + n = 5. Find n.
And then, in fourth grade:
2 × ___ = 6
becomes
2n = 6. Find n.
Sooooo much easier!