Problem Solvers: A Free Early Math Curriculum

A Free Early Math Curriculum for Children Aged 30 to 48 months

Research tells us early math skills are a powerful predictor of overall school achievement. But what does “early math” look like for toddlers and young preschoolers? It looks like Problem Solvers.

Problem Solvers is a free, downloadable early math curriculum that includes:

22 play-based early math activities, spanning 7 domains of early math
22 specially-composed songs that support early math learning in each activity
22 book suggestions and extension activities that nurture early math language through read-alouds
22 parent resources (English/Spanish) that build bridges between school and home, and give parents ideas for engaging math play
A Teacher’s Guide to help educators implement the curriculum

The development of Problem Solvers was made possible by the generous support of the Honda USA Foundation and the Dr. Seuss Foundation. We are deeply grateful to both foundations for allowing us to make this resource available to early education programs nationwide.

Get Problem Solvers today.

Download a sample Problem Solvers activity.
Download the Problem Solvers Teacher’s Guide.
Winter Bonus Unit: “Chilly Patterns” Now Available!
Download the entire free Problem Solvers math curriculum at no charge, including songs, by filling out the form below.

What are early educators saying about Problem Solvers?

Problem Solvers helped us connect math to books, music, and free play. That was something new for me—fresh and different.

It’s always been hard to think of different math activities so this curriculum gave us more ideas and resources!

We have a full curriculum and we were still able to add Problem Solvers as an additional piece—and it wasn’t overwhelming. The kids wanted it and asked for it, even if the teachers missed it that day.

We saw the children focusing on this new math language and using it throughout the classroom – Is it longer? Is it more? Making lots of comparisons, doing lots of counting.

More Resources on Early Math

ZERO TO THREE’s Let’s Talk About Math video series: See how early math skills develop from birth to five. Includes free parent resources.
ZERO TO THREE’s Math4Littles resources: Explore this set of 36 activities for two- to three-year-olds that build math skills through parent-child play.
Erikson Early Math Collaborative: Browse a library of teacher-friendly instructional resources and fun activities for young children aligned to the big math ideas of early childhood.
Learning and Teaching With Learning Trajectories: Early Math Birth to Grade 3: Learn more about the math skills that children are developing in the early years.
Early Math Counts: Explore resources for creating math-rich early childhood environments.
Development and Research in Early Math Education ( DREME): Check out math-focused children’s book suggestions with activity ideas.
Finding Math from the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, University of Washington: Access this suite of resources designed to help you discover the math in your everyday life.

Looking for training or professional development on early math?

Set up a professional development experience for your staff to build knowledge around early math instruction and support the implementation of Problem Solvers.

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