Math Practice: Top Math Apps Your Kids Will Want To Use

Now that school is back in session in most parts of the country, it’s important to figure out how your children are going to get some math practice in. Some parents have anxiety when it comes to helping children with math homework. Thankfully, there are a few math apps that your child will enjoy playing.

Twelve a Dozen and World of Goo HD are math apps that are so cute and colorful that your kids won’t realize they’re learning math. The great thing about these games is that math is the core of the game without making it seem like a learning tool. Kids will have to learn how to solve common math problems and puzzles to win the game.

With the Counting Kingdom and Zoombinis, kids have to defeat monsters and other characters by solving math equations. Zoombinis based on the hugely-popular 90s software game called Logical Journey of the Zoombinis. If your kid loves playing video games or battling evil guys, then they will also like Land of Venn and Numbers League, according to a previous report via USA Today.

If your kid is learning early algebra, check out DragonBox Algebra5; and if your child is learning geometry, try Dragonbox Elements. Most of these suggested math apps are available for the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android, or PC/Mac on Steam.

If your kid doesn’t like playing games and is still having trouble with his or her math homework, then try PhotoMath by MicroBLINK. This app uses your phone’s camera and calculator to solve equations. It doesn’t just give you the answers. It also teaches your child how to solve the equation the right way. It’s available for free on both Apple and Android devices.

Even with all of these math apps available, it’s still important for parents to help their children with their homework. The anxiety that parents get from doing math can get passed down to their children, according to psychologists. When parents showed anxiety around common math problems while doing Grade 1 or Grade 2 homework, the child not only learned less math, but picked up more math anxiety by the end of the school year, according to a research reported in the journal Psychological Science.

There is a way that parents can help their children with their math homework without having to rely on an app.

Some suggestions include the following.

• Teach your child number and math at home once they turn the toddler age.
• Take the time to incorporate math into daily activities such as grocery shopping or baking/cooking. For example, double or triple a recipe to show your child how important it is to use math in everyday life.
• Think about how awful it would be if your child didn’t do well on a test or couldn’t calculate a tip at a restaurant with his or friends.
• Write down your anxiety and feelings before helping your child with his or her math homework. Research shows that those who write about how they feel five minutes before a test perform better than those who let allow their fears to take over their thoughts.

Still, online match practice is important. It should be incorporated into your child’s daily activities. Instead of playing video games, they can play with the suggested math apps.

Online math — Practice to give an edge to your child’s learning abilities. With increased practice, they will become better at their math homework and tests.

[Image: Stuart Miles]