At this point in the school year we begin to see where our kids could use a bit of support in math. This month we focus on math for 1st through 6th grade with educational and fun apps recommended by school resource teachers.

Even if your child is strong in math you’ll find that as they get older and more concepts are learned they may need to practice or review basic skills to keep on track. Building a strong core base of the basics in math is key to be successful moving forward when new math concepts are introduced and children can always benefit from refreshing core skills.

I like to play the games with my girls to review what they know and to see where they struggle to see if I can offer new strategies to help them build confidence in addition, subtraction, multiplication and fractions.

McGraw-Hill Everyday Mathematics -Top It Subtraction– The app is set up like a card game between two players so you can play it with your child or they can play both hands.  The subtraction goes from simple to hard problems.  There is no time limit so you can walk through strategies for harder problems.  Price $1.99

McGraw-Hill Everyday Mathematics – Top It Addition – Set up in the same manner as the subtraction version with a card game between two players you can increase the difficulty of addition problems depending on the age of your child. You can select what difficulty to start with and build up to harder questions. If you have an older child test their skills and see if they are as sharp as before. The questions are based in two digit numbers from 0 to 99.  Available for iPad and iPhone as well as for Android devices at Google Play. Price $1.99

Splash Math – The app is available in different grade levels and I find that some of the problem solving skills in this grade are a great tune up for my older daughter too.  Attention to detail in directions as this basic level is a good reminder that even thought you may know the answer to a problem if you don’t read the directions properly you can get the wrong answer.  Kids are rewarded with prizes to build a custom aquarium which gives motivation to move to other levels. Price: Free – Find your Splash Math grade level below:

• Kindergarten – Free
• Grade 1- Free
• Grade 2 – Free
• Grade 3 – Free
• Grade 3 – Full version
• Grade 4 – Free

Multiplication for Kids by Internet Design Zone  – Multiplication is one of those skills built from memorization. This free app gives the first 5 levels for free, times tables 0 through 4  then $1.99 to unlock upper levels. Choose a review or test mode depending on your need.  My daughter doesn’t like being timed by a clock when answering questions and she appreciates that she can think about the answer first. Multiplication is one of those skills that takes practice, practice, practice so this app is great for keeping up with repetitive drills.
Price: Free

Chicken Coop Fractions – I really like this app because it works on two things which are key for my older daughter right now: estimating answers and switching between fractions and decimals.  The object of the game is to figure out the difference between fractions and decimals while estimating on a timeline where the number will fall.   It’s great pracitce and the chickens laying eggs are funny. Available for iPad and iPhone as well as for Android devices at Google Play Price: Free

For more educational apps the visit our Top Apps lists including math, science and imagination apps – paid and free.

If you have a recommendation for an educational app add it into the comments area below.

Related advertisement