Many parents have asked me over the years what they should do to help their children with math at home. The best answer, and the one I give most often, is that they should “do” math with them. Numbers can be such a fun game to play – counting on, counting down, skip counting, measuring, shopping, time until, time since… there are so many ways that we use numbers in our daily lives that we could do out loud with our kids, so start there.
The next answer, which is less fun, is the fact that math skills (like language skills or music skills or anything skills…) have building blocks that need to be practiced and memorized even though doing so is VERY boring. (If you have ever conjugated french verbs or repeated scales on the piano you know what I mean.) Speed and confidence with math facts (multiplication or “partner numbers” for ten in particular) are the foundation of so much math development later on.
Basic practice can be simple games with flipping playing cards or rolling dice, but if you are still looking for something to hook your kids’ interest there are a few apps that I have put to the test and can recommend to you!
For free, there are a number of apps by the developer “made by educators” that were popular with my test group (Gr.3-Gr.7); so much so that we eventually splurged on a bundle to get the full version of the apps we liked. These are the ones I would recommend most. There are some great options at the “lite” version and at the paid levels. Crazy Times Tables, Math Y56 and Daily Monster Math Battle were our favourites. (Bonus: the bundle comes with KS2 Science which is cool too.)
Also for free is this “Multiplication for Beginners” app with an adventure story line and a game-like design that scored points for fun as well as actual Math practice time.
Another free game-like app for operation practice which we didn’t test a lot, but which might be useful: “Sumdog”.
“Bedtime Math” is a free app you can use if you are looking for a way to integrate regular “math talks” into your daily home life. It starts off with a story or article that is usually interesting to read just on its’ own. Note that it uses American money and measurement, which do not translate to our Canadian curriculum, but there are so many questions to choose from that you will be able to skip the ones that don’t work for you. Also, if the first question you pick is too easy you can continue to harder levels (wee ones, little kids, big kids, and my favourite – bonuses!)
Lastly, if you are committed to regular practice and especially if you have more than one child to use it, K-5 Splash Math could be useful. There is a free trial which we liked, but the fee for users is $10.49 each month. At that rate, you might want to get some workbooks instead!
Math apps aren’t all about games though – Khan Academy has one of the best apps I have ever used for videos and tutorials on many math topics.
Beyond apps there are many great websites to support math skills too. AAAMath is one of the best – I suggest starting one grade level below and working through the concepts to make sure the building blocks are in place.
Do any of you grown-ups remember watching PBS programs years ago? PBS is still providing great support for learning and education. You will find a wealth of videos and lessons on their Math page.
Lastly, Math TV has free videos to watch on topics that range from basic to algebra to trigonometry and beyond. So much to learn!
Most of all, don’t be afraid to “outsource” your learning. Our children have so many more sources of information and opportunities to learn. You can learn right alongside them – do you ever wonder what you would have pursued if the internet was at your fingertips? Follow those dreams, and bring your children along for the fun. Learning only really takes root when it happens with real joy!
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