Trying to encourage your kid to do their math homework is often like trying to force toothpaste back into its tube. If your kid isn’t blessed with enthusiasm when it comes to sums and numbers, then they might grow to absolutely hate the subject.
And every parent is tired of dealing with a screaming child who is sobbing over their math homework at the dining table.
It’s no secret that a kid would rather stare at a screen than practice their math skills. When us adults were kids, all we needed to focus on was a boring textbook. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a way to incorporate both math and screens to encourage your kid to enjoy math?
Luckily for you, we’ve got you covered. There are an abundance of math apps available for kids of all ages to help them improve their math skills, from their times tables to complex sums. With a bit of luck, these apps might even create a positive relationship between your kid and math.
Here are the best math apps for kids!
OUR TOP PICK
Kindergarteners and preschoolers don’t need to spend the majority of their time at home trying to figure out how math works.
Likewise, they shouldn’t have to spend hours and hours with their face pressed to a screen. Math Shelf is aware of the risks of getting kids addicted to screens, which is why this app has been created to help kids learn basic math skills quickly.
Let’s be honest, no kid will enjoy a math app as much as a coloring app or game app. Math Shelf, however, is designed to encourage kindergarten kids to develop problem-solving skills through visual learning, which is the easiest way to learn for kids at that age.
Math Shelf offers over 1000 math related games for kids to play along with performance reports for the adult to monitor the work their kid is doing.
All the animations are colorful and easy to understand for kids of all ages and levels, especially those in preschool. This is essentially the best way to distract your kid when you’re working, while providing them with valuable lessons and math skills!
Pros:
- Ideal for kindergarten kids - Best suited for young children between the ages of 4-6 (or those with a learning ability of a similar age)
- Lots of choice - Over 1000 math games available to improve problem-solving skills
- Easy to understand - Colorful and simple animations make for straightforward visual learning
Cons:
- Price - The yearly cost of this app is too expensive for parents to afford, so it’s more suitable for teachers with a large class
EDITORS CHOICE
Not every parent has the funds to buy a monthly subscription of an app for an entire class. If you’ve got Apple products, such as an iPhone or iPad, then iOS apps might be all you’re restricted to. Never fear - Rocket Math is here.
Rocket Math is designed for kids between the ages 6 and 14 years old, with the aim of teaching them how to solve basic and tricky math problems through exciting visuals and facts.
The whole point of this app is to get kids excited and enthusiastic about math, which is achieved through a variety of games and facts.
The best thing about this app is that it promotes progression. It’s a supplementary app that should be used before or after school, perhaps during homework sessions, for your kid to go into their next math class with extra knowledge.
This app covers everything from times tables to subtraction and division to fractions, allowing the user to progress with each game.
Once the kids have learned the facts, they can then prove their knowledge with a useful timed quiz. Sure, math apps should be fun, but they’re also designed to get kids into the examination mindset.
Pros:
- Varied skill levels - Suitable for kids aged 6-14 or of a similar learning ability
- Progressive - All about encouraging kids to do better each time, so they aren’t just going over the things they already know
- Supplementary app - Great for homework, after school, and weekend practice
Cons:
- Not Android compatible - This is an iOS app
BEST VALUE
The best way to get young kids interested in math is by finding an app that has bright, colorful, and exciting visuals.
Visual learning is the best way to learn math, because no kid is going to learn about their times tables purely by a teacher explaining how 3 x 4 works. For a lot of children, having it explained in a visual format is much easier to understand.
Splash Math is certainly the most visually appealing and interactive math app on our list. Available on both Android and iOS devices as well as for teachers and parents, this app is easy for everyone to use.
Splash Math is designed to teach kids of all ages from grade 1 to 6, with interactive games to help kids understand counting, graphs, addition, subtraction, geometry, and money.
Each level in the Splash Math app is designed to help kids progress to the next step. Once they have mastered addition and subtraction, they can move up to advanced addition and subtraction.
To encourage kids to enjoy the app even more, Splash Math rewards kids who get an answer correct with coins to buy virtual pets. There’s almost a risk of this app being a bit too much fun!
Plus, parents and teachers receive weekly reports to their email accounts to see how their kid is doing with the app, including a progress graph that indicates their strengths and weaknesses.
Pros:
- Visually exciting - Easy to use with colorful interactive animations
- Rewards system - Every correct answer comes with a coin that can be spent on virtual pets
- Progress reports - Weekly updates showing the child’s progress sent straight to parent or teacher
Cons:
- Cost - App is fairly pricey
RUNNER UP
It’s no secret that everyone learns differently. Math is one of the trickiest subjects for people of all ages, kids and adults alike, and not everyone is going to learn linearly.
Some kids will excel at sums, but they might be weak at fractions. Unfortunately, it’s often hard to explain to an app your child’s circumstances.
That’s what DoodleLearning is for. Available for both math and English, DoodleLearning is designed to personalize each child’s experience to ensure they reach their full potential without feeling like they have to be amazing at everything.
The app will create an individualized work program for each kid to work on their weaknesses and help them advance their strengths.
While this app might not have the most exciting visuals, it’s only designed to be used for 10 minutes a day. These 10 minutes will go by so fast and your kid will be learning valuable knowledge without even knowing it.
The quick usage makes it ideal for using the app as a warm-up for homework, on the journey to school, or to distract them before dinner.
Not only is this app available for Android and iOS (for a minimal fee), but it matches the curriculum for a variety of schools across the world, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia.
Pros:
- Personalized app - Personalized work program allows an individual experience to work on strengths and weaknesses
- Quick use - Designed for 10 minutes a day, providing fast knowledge
- Suitable for all ages - Has the curriculum for kindergarten kids to grade 9
Cons:
- Visuals - Younger kids might not find this app as visually exciting as other apps
RUNNER UP
Not every parent will have a device that can hold enough storage to download multiple apps for their kid. Likewise, not every parent will have the funds to pay for an expensive math app or several pricey educational apps.
That’s where Zoolingo comes in! Zoolingo offers a range of subjects to choose from, including math, English, history, science, and more.
This app is suitable for kids aged 2 to 11, making it one of the most inclusive and versatile apps on the market. It’s also available in 16 languages, which is great if you’re trying to encourage your child to become fluent in a language from a young age.
What’s more, this app is filled with over 1000 exciting educational games filled with cool visuals and interactive animations to help your child enjoy learning.
Half of the time, they probably won’t realize that they’re learning a lot when playing these games. Plus, the app’s main character is an animated monkey called Moolingo, who both motivates and rewards the user with compliments and in-game treats.
Pros:
- Versatile - Offers games for math, English, history, science, and more
- Wide age range - Suitable for kids aged 2-11 or with a similar learning ability
- Interactive - 1000+ games with exciting interactive visuals and animations
Cons:
- Subscription - Some reviewers have been fooled by the 3-day free trial, so be aware that a monthly subscription will ensue after the trial
Best Math Apps For Kids Buying Guide
Why to Invest in a Math App for Kids?
We understand the struggles of trying to keep your kid away from screens, which seems like an impossible task in this day and age. However, there’s a lot of good that can come from educational apps.
Not only can your child learn basic math skills in a visual learning atmosphere, but it will also teach them other skills such as technology, patience, and compromise.
It’s easy for parents to set boundaries and rules with their children when it comes to screens and math apps. If they want to play a game on your phone or watch a funny video, they can only do so if they complete 10 minutes of work on the math app.
Those 10 minutes will go by so quickly for the kid, so fast that they’ll hardly realize they’ve been learning math skills.
While most math apps come with a monthly subscription fee of varying charges, this might be the investment your kid needs to develop their math skills. Certainly cheaper than hiring a tutor!
What to Look for in a Math App for Kids?
There’s an abundance of math apps available for kids, so here are the key factors to consider.
Visual learning
Most kids are visual learners, which means they benefit most from animations and visuals to help them understand a concept. Not only are animated apps fun for kids to get involved with, but the animations subconsciously encourage kids to develop a secret enjoyment for math.
Personalized learning
Not every math app will offer a personalized learning experience for each kid, so if your child has varying strengths and weaknesses in math, then you might want to consider finding an app that creates a personalized plan.
Learning is never linear, so even if your child has an advanced understanding of fractions but struggles with understanding geometry, then it’s best to find an app that can accommodate these strengths and weaknesses.
Suitable age
There’s no point investing in an app that’s only suitable for a certain grade or age. All kids will have a different learning ability (despite their age), so it’s best to find an app that is suitable for kids of varying ages and abilities.
This means that if you have an 11-year-old who works at a grade 5 level for math, then you can adjust the games accordingly to suit their skill level.
Subscription costs
Here’s the thing - most math apps require some sort of payment. Some are more expensive than others, with some costing several hundred dollars for a year’s subscription - though these are better suited for classrooms.
Make sure you, as the parent, make use of your money by investing in the right type of app. Plus, always read the small details, because free trials almost always lead to automatic subscription costs!
Rewards
Most math apps will offer in-game rewards such as coins to be spent on virtual pets, characters, or items. These are great for providing your child with motivation to get a question right so they can save their coins and treat themselves.
However, not all math apps will offer this function. Therefore, make sure to reward your kid accordingly in real life. The whole point is to motivate them and encourage them to strive towards rewards, after all!
Progress
The most important feature of a math app is the progression. Some apps will offer weekly email reports to parents, which explain how your child is progressing or struggling.
Not only will this highlight areas of weakness, but it allows parents to see how often the child is playing on the app (and not another app). Some kids might pretend they're on the math app when in reality they’re playing Candy Crush, so it’s always best to make sure they’re not lying.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I teach my child math at home?
As a parent, trying to teach your child math at home can be really tricky. You might not have as much authority as a teacher, your kid might find themselves more distracted than usual, and you might not have the ability to teach your child math at times.
Sure, text books and quizzes are useful for a certain amount of time, but this can often lead to resentment from your kid. After all, they aren’t going to learn every aspect of math just from a text book.
Instead, we recommend investing in a math app for kids. There are an abundance of math apps available for a variety of ages and skill levels, all of which are designed to create a positive relationship between your child and their learning.
Most apps are equipped with exciting animations and interactive visuals to provide an enjoyable learning experience, which could make them enjoy learning even more.
It’s worth mentioning that a math app shouldn’t be the sole educational tool. Math apps are designed to be supplementary educational tools outside of school.
The best way to incorporate this app into your child’s day is to ask them to play for 10 minutes before dinner or homework. Then, treat your kid to a fun app to play when they have been successful.
What math skills should an 8 year old have?
On average, an 8-year-old should have the following math skills:
- The ability to read and write numbers up to 999 in order
- Concept of large numbers on a number line
- Identify number patterns
- Understand halves and quarters
- Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide basic sums
Of course, each 8-year-old will have varying math skills. Some kids are born with the lucky ability to be great at math, while others might need an extra helping hand.
If you’re worried about your 8-year-old’s math skills, you might want to consider investing in a math app. Math apps are an excellent way to encourage your kid to continue learning math skills outside of school.
These apps are all about creating a positive relationship with math through fun games and interactive animations, which is the best way to motivate them to continue learning.
