Developing Mathematical Roots:Nurturing Early Math Through Play in Pre-K

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 Pre-Kindergarten Program. Perfect for pre-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?

Developing Mathematical Roots: Nurturing Early Math Through Play in Pre-K

$349.00
access until June 30, 2026 12:00 am

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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

Developing Mathematical Roots: Nurturing Early Math Through Play in Pre-K

$349.00
access until June 30, 2026 12:00 am

Here is What is Waiting Inside…

  • Getting Started
    • Welcome
    • Meet Your Facilitators
    • What is [Math]odology?
    • Why Developing Roots?
    • What is Play? – Part 1
    • What is Play? Part 2
    • Five Core Competencies
  • Session 1: Setting Up For Success
    • [Math]odology Playing Cards
    • Shelves and Manipulatives
    • Learning Spaces (Land of Lost Parts)
    • Student Activity Book
    • Teacher Resources
    • Lesson Structure
    • Session 1 Reflection
  • Session 2: Big Ideas of Number – Focus UOS1
    • Big Ideas of Number
    • Understanding the Big Ideas: Subitizing
    • Experience the Learning: Subitizing
    • Reflecting and Extending: Subitizing
    • Understanding the Big Ideas: Verbal Counting
    • Experience the Learning: Verbal Counting
    • Reflecting and Extending: Verbal Counting
    • Understanding the Big Ideas: Object Counting and Cardinality
    • Experience the Learning: Object Counting and Cardinality
    • Reflecting and Extending: Object Counting and Cardinality
    • Understanding the Big Ideas: Comparing and Ordering
    • Experience the Learning: Comparing and Ordering
    • Reflecting and Extending: Comparing and Ordering
    • Practical Tips: Integrating Daily Math Routines
    • Practical Tips: Adding Numeral Writing to Your Lessons
    • Session 2 Reflection
    • Practical Tips: Data Collection 
  • Session 3: Big Ideas of Geometry – Focus UOS2
    • Understanding the Big Ideas: Geometry
    • Experience the Learning: Spatial Relationships
    • Experience the Learning: Shapes and Geometric Attributes
    • Reflecting and Extending: Geometry
    • Session 3 Reflection
  • Session 4: Big Ideas of Patterning, Measurement, and Data – Focus UOS3 and UOS 4
    • Understanding the Big Ideas: Data, Measurement, and Patterns
    • Experience the Learning: Patterns
    • Reflecting and Extending: Patterns
    • Experience the Learning: Measurement
    • Reflecting and Extending: Measurement
    • Session 4 Reflection
  • Session 5: Big Ideas of Revisiting Number – Focus UOS5
    • Understanding the Big Ideas: Number and Operations
    • Experience the Learning: Verbal Counting
    • Experience the Learning: Object Counting and Cardinality
    • Experience the Learning: Parts of 10
    • Reflecting and Extending: Number and Operations
    • Session 5 Reflection
  • References
    • Goal Setting
    • Feedback Survey
    • Coaching Corners
    • Monthly Roundtables

Developing Mathematical Roots: Nurturing Early Math Through Play in Pre-K

$349.00
access until June 30, 2026 12:00 am

Frequently Asked Questions