It’s the time of year when outside becomes a lot more focus than inside, and so it should. It’s a beautiful time of the year, and the kids need to be outdoors. However, when they’re looking for down time on the computer, and they love math, where can you send them? Here are some of the top math apps that I’m looking at as teaching tools for the summer.
My daughter and I both love Math Drills and Math Drills Lite. The lite version is free, and the paid version is only $1.99. While the app is not beautiful, it’s very helpful for learning math in a way that discourages guessing. Children see a problem such as 2 + 4. They can key in the answer on the calculator pad below, or they can watch as the program moves along a number line, beginning at the number 2 and moving 4 spaces up to get to the answer, 6. This gentle, visual teaching is a great way to see what addition and subtraction actually mean.
Slice It! introduces kids to fractions. They can cut different figures into pieces.I’ve been looking for a basic fractions game for my daughter, and this one has received rave reviews.
Want to teach your children to regroup or borrow? App-Zoo’s A Math Regrouping App: Addition and Subtraction doesn’t have the most exciting title, but it teaches pen and paper style regrouping, so that the children will know how to write out regrouping and borrowing questions when they’re faced with them in real life offline.
If you’re looking for a math app that’s suited toward a particular grade level rather than a single skill, the Splash Math apps address all sorts of different aspects of math at grade level.
Why do I love math apps? They make math fun and casual, something the children treat as a game rather than something to be dreaded. They are also easy to bring along and clean up. An Ipod fits easily into a pocket and can come out when you’re waiting somewhere or relaxing on the couch. Instead of using paper on worksheets, you just pull up the app.
Apps aren’t everything, of course. In-person teaching of the foundational math concepts is also really important, or else the apps can become a game with no application. I’ve found that my daughter can whip through the apps without really understanding how they might be applied – whether she discovers this later is an open questions right now. But combine in person teaching, apps for practice, and practical math applications, and you’ve got a well-rounded math whiz!
Image Credit: The Riaa
