For each concept in the Early Math Playbook, you’ll get an assessment game to help you identify where your child is beginning in learning the skill. As you target that skill with games and math talk, you can play the assessment game again to measure their progress. The greatest thing about using the Early Math Playbook and making the shift to a “math mindset” is that you’ll start noticing your child doing math talk all on their own!

You can start math talk with children as young as infancy (and research shows you that you should!). The Playbook is designed to grow with your child from two years to kindergarten entry.

All the games in The Early Math Playbook are designed to be used with materials you probably already have in your home! Each game comes with a list of materials required—expect to see things like blocks, loose parts (like pom poms, buttons, or little toys), or your child’s favorite toys. You’ll also get printables like ten frames, subitizing cards, and simple board games.

Each module comes with a one-minute “Quick Start” video and a "Deep Dive," so you can decide how much you want to learn about each early math concept! Plan 5-10 minutes a few times a week to play a math game, and use your new “math mindset” to find fast, easy opportunities to add math to your everyday routines! There are plenty of games that use no materials and require zero prep, so you can play while waiting at the pediatrician’s office, in line at the grocery store, or on a walk together. Just wait until you see how quickly your child starts offering their own math talk, too!

At MIT, Dr. Maddie’s PhD research focused on cognitive development and what young children intuitively understand about math and science long before they start school. (You can find some of her research here and here!) She has worked hands-on training preschool teachers in early math learning, designing classroom math interventions for hundreds of preschoolers, and works with nonprofits and arts institutions around the world to bring early math to as many children as possible.

There’s no such thing as a “math person”! Studies show that math anxiety can actually be passed down to children through their caregivers, so if you worry that you’re not “good at math,” you’ve come to the right place! The video modules in the Early Math Playbook allow you to learn as much as you’d like about each early math concept, but if all you can fit into your busy day is the games, you’ll still watch your child flourish as a confident math learner! Let’s break the cycle of math anxiety together.

We wish! Research shows us that almost no math is being taught in preschools or at home. While 45% of a preschooler’s day is spent on literacy, just 5% is spent on learning math. Preschool teachers can even pass on their own math anxiety through negative math talk or avoiding math all together! The Early Math Playbook gives you the tools you need to bridge this math learning gap at home and set your child up for continued academic success.

Kids who don’t begin to explore early math concepts until kindergarten can lose confidence in their math skills. (Studies show that this is especially true for girls, unfortunately.) If your child’s first purposeful encounter with math is through worksheets, timed skills, and the pressure of succeeding academically, they may never learn to see themselves as a confident math learner—and they may even identify as “bad at math.” By giving them early math skills—and the confidence that goes with them—through joyful play at home, you’re setting them up for success in kindergarten and beyond.