For kids – and even some adults – learning math equations can seem about as fun as getting your teeth pulled.
All those numbers and symbols put together in seemingly random ways can feel intimidating and confusing, and if you make a mistake, you have to start all over. Wouldn’t it be more fun just to spend your time playing games?
Well, now you can do both with iPhone apps that make learning math a breeze – not to mention fun! Here are some of the best ones we found to teach your budding mathematicians.
Pop Math Lite (free on iTunes)
With bright bubbles that have math equations and answers on them floating over a colorful background, kids will love this one. You can pick whether you want it to focus on addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, or a mixture of all four. Equation bubbles have to be matched to their corresponding answer bubbles in order for you to proceed to the next level.
Math Bingo ($0.99 on iTunes)
Listed as appropriate for ages 5 and up, Math Bingo is exactly what it sounds like. Pick both a difficulty level and a specific math skill that you want to focus on and you’ll be taken to the main game – a bingo card with a bunch of numbers on it.
At the top of the screen there will be a math problem and you have to answer it by clicking one of the numbers on the bingo card. Answer enough questions correctly to line up five bingo squares in a row and you win that level. This one is high on the cuteness factor with adorable animated bugs that show up as your bingo “stamps” and move around making noises.
Math Ninja (free on iTunes)
This game is fantastic because it’s very sly in how it asks kids to learn. Plus, it incorporates not only math, but reading to learn the story of the game!
Essentially, each level pits you as the ninja against an onslaught of robotic animals. Fight through the horde and count up your points and you’ll have to get through a math drill session that incorporates the four basic math functions before you can play the next level. Pretty genius.
Apparently, the game “remembers” the math abilities of each user and gets harder the longer you play, so it can actually grow with your kids’ abilities. Even better, there’s no multiple choice in this one, so kids can’t just keep guessing until they get the right answer. But don’t confuse the math difficulty with the game difficulty, though, or you’ll soon find your tree house overrun by robotic animals.
Math A+ ($0.99 on iTunes)
What’s interesting about this math game is that it’s actually several different games in one application. This makes it very useful if you have kids who are at different ability levels because they can choose the game that suits them best.
The first game involves learning the sequence of numbers, so it’s perfect for very young children who are learning to count. Another game gives you the answer and asks that you fill in the numbers that make up the equation – a nice twist on the usual and valuable for understanding how the different parts of math equations work. The final game contains an answer at the center and four different equations in the corners that you can choose between for the correct one.
Math Drills Lite (free on iTunes)
This one might be more popular with parents than kids, but it’s incredibly useful if you’ve got a little one who’s having a bit of trouble understanding the math concepts that they’re learning in school. Why? Because not only does it contain the usual basic problems, it actually uses a variety of techniques to review why you got certain problems wrong and show you how to get the correct answer next time.
Yes, that’s right, it actually does a good job of teaching math instead of just getting kids to play a game that involves math. One great visual example they use for addition problems is a table of numbers from 1 to 10. For the review of 2 + 3, a line is colored in up to the number 2 and the game tells you to move three units to the right as well as including an arrow that moves up and over the table to point to the number 5.
If these math games don’t seem to be quite what you’re looking for, don’t worry. There are an incredible variety of games out there for all levels of learners, so you’re bound to find something that works – whether you’re looking for your kid or yourself!
(*Image used with permission from Shutterstock.com.)
Related Posts (if the above topic is of interest, you might want to check these out):
Teaching and Learning with the iPad – a 3 Year Review
The Updated Classroom – Developing Student Writing Skills with Tablet and Smartphone Apps
Free eBook: 154 Brilliant iPhone (and iPad) Tips. Too Cool Not to Share.
Aileen Pablo is part of the team behind Open Colleges and InformED, one of Australia’s leading providers of Open Learning and distance education. When not working, Aileen blogs about education and career.She is often invited as a speaker in Personality Development Seminars in the Philippines. If you are interested in featuring her works in your blog, you can find her on Google+.
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