Transform your math classroom—make every lesson an adventure in learning! With our approach, play isn’t an afterthought; it’s the heart of every experience. Use proven learning trajectories to guide each student’s journey, and watch concepts click as you connect math to hands-on, meaningful activities.
Our method blends repetition with fresh variation, so your students build mastery while staying engaged and excited. You’ll meet every learner right where they are—no more one-size-fits-all lessons.
Best of all? Math becomes social, joyful, and full of discovery. When kids play, explore, and learn together, the results are real—and the smiles are too.
Ready to bring genuine joy to your math lessons? Let’s make learning playful, purposeful, and powerful—together.
Listen to what others have to say about our program
Mike Picciottoli, Head of School
Who is This Course For?
Designed specifically for the Developing Roots Kindergarten Program. Perfect for kindergarten teachers, math coaches, math coordinators, and teacher leaders looking to support early math learning.
Growing Great Mathematicians—
One Playful Moment at a Time
Nurturing Early Math Through Play in Pre-K
A self-paced course for pre-kindergarten teachers and early childhood professionals
What if every moment in your classroom sparked a lifelong love of math?
Young children don’t need worksheets to build strong math foundations—they need playful, purposeful experiences that inspire curiosity and confidence. If you’ve already invested in the Developing Roots Pre-K curriculum, this course is your key to unlocking its full potential.
Nurturing Early Math Through Play in Pre-K helps you go beyond simply following a script. You’ll learn how to use the activities in your curriculum in ways that truly support children’s mathematical growth—while deepening your own understanding of the Big Ideas behind early math.
Why This Course?
Flexible, Self-Paced Format: Five engaging sessions you can complete on your schedule, designed for busy educators.
Make the Most of Your Curriculum: Learn how to use the activities you already have to their fullest impact, with guidance on best practices for playful learning.
Build Content Knowledge: Get clear, practical explanations of the core math concepts (“Big Ideas”) that young children need, so you know not just what to do, but why it matters.
Implement with Confidence: See how math concepts develop, and learn how to observe, question, and support children as they explore.
Inspire Creativity and Curiosity: Discover ways to set firm foundations while sparking children’s excitement for math through hands-on, joyful play.
What You’ll Get
Real Classroom Insights: Examples and suggestions drawn from real pre-K classrooms. Every instructor in this course has hands-on experience—both teaching young children and supporting teachers—so the guidance you’ll receive is rooted in a genuine understanding of your day-to-day realities.
Support and Lesson Videos: A blend of practical support videos and engaging lesson demonstrations, all grounded in proven best practices for teaching early mathematics.
Reflective Downloadables: Downloadable tools and prompts to capture your ideas, encourage meaningful reflection, and help you focus on different areas of your teaching practice as you progress through your own learning journey.
By the end of this course, you’ll feel confident using your curriculum to spark mathematical curiosity and growth in every child.
Ready to bring your curriculum to life—and nurture the next generation of curious mathematicians?
Trusted by these brands & influencers to get results!
Session 1
We’ll kick things off by setting up your classroom for math success. You’ll learn how to arrange the space for easy math learning, organize math cards, and set up a dedicated shelf so kids can practice independently. We’ll also cover simple ways to manage supplies so students can find what they need on their own.
We’ll walk through the essential resources—like the student activity book, teacher guide, and teacher toolkit. To wrap up, you’ll get a close look at how lessons are organized, with a real example that shows how everything comes together.
Session 2
This session is all about numbers. We’ll dig into subitizing and counting routines, and discuss ways to help students count accurately and understand what numbers really mean. You’ll see activities for comparing and ordering numbers, plus get ideas for easy daily math routines. For each concept, you’ll find hands-on practice ideas and ways to check how students are doing.
Session 3
Next, we’ll focus on geometry. You’ll explore big ideas like spatial relationships and using positional language, all through hands-on activities. Children will work with shapes and their attributes, building and sorting paper shapes to see how they fit together. You’ll get suggestions for shelf activities and tips on assessing students’ understanding as they explore geometry.
Session 4
In this session, we’ll turn to patterns, measurement, and data. We’ll help students make and extend patterns, and introduce the language of measurement and comparison. You’ll get practical ideas for hands-on activities and ways to observe how students are learning in these areas.
Session 5
We’ll circle back to numbers, this time looking at the building blocks for operations. You’ll see lessons that explore joining and taking away, part-whole relationships, and making 10. You’ll get strategies for noticing how children count and combine numbers, helping them build fluency with skills like adding or subtracting one.
Throughout the course, you’ll have plenty of chances to try new ideas in your classroom and reflect on what you notice with your students.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
We love Developing Roots. Our students are stronger mathematicians because of this program. If you are adopting it, you MUST take this course to gain a deeper understanding and get the best value out of your experience.
Lori – Math Coach
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
The course materials are helpful and very well written. This course helped me hear further explanations and see ideas to implement even better.
Erin-Curriculum Specialist
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
I LOVED learning along with you. Thank you for all the time you put in. I learned something in every session and think for me the format you did really worked for me. I liked when you walked us through lessons and I liked how open you were to questions. THANK YOU so much for all your help AND availability if we have questions. I emailed you quite a few times and you were so responsive. YOU ROCK!
Tracy- Teacher
Course Curriculum
Getting Started
Session 1: Setting Up For Success
Session 2: Big Ideas of Number – Focus UOS1
Session 3: Big Ideas of Geometry – Focus UOS2
Session 4: Big Ideas of Patterning, Measurement, and Data – Focus UOS3 and UOS 4
Session 5: Big Ideas of Revisiting Number – Focus UOS5
References
Meet Your Instructors
Melissa Williams, Sarah Schaefer & Donna Lamonte
Dr. Yeap Ban Har, a leading figure in Singapore Math and curriculum innovation, has taught and lectured internationally, shaping teacher education and professional development at institutions like Singapore’s National Institute of Education. Sarah Schaefer, founder of Mathodology and CEO of think! Mathematics, brings decades of experience simplifying math instruction, creating collaborative curricula, and empowering learners in both public and private schools. Jeffrey Corbishley, an instructional coach and curriculum supervisor, is dedicated to making mathematics accessible through effective teaching practices and leadership in regional and national math organizations. Rounding out the group, Michele Meyer of Ponte Vedra High School is a respected AP Calculus teacher known for fostering high-level thinking and collaboration in her classroom, as well as her commitment to student engagement and enrichment outside of regular coursework.
Ready to bring your curriculum to life—and nurture the next generation of curious mathematicians?
Sign Up Now – For Yourself or a Group
Engineering the Perfect Kindergarten Classroom (Individual)
The best option for individual sign up!
Engineering the Perfect Kindergarten Classroom (Group)
Frequently Asked Questions
Say Yes—Empower Children, Empower Yourself
Will you join us on a journey that over a thousand people just like you have taken—empowering children and themselves through our unique method and dedicated support?
