With Apps, Children Can Play the Game of Math
App Smart: Teaching Kids Math:
Children can learn math skills, from addition to algebra, through an array of apps for tablets and smartphones.
By KIT EATON
Published: November 13, 2013
My 5-year-old son recently explained to my 3-year-old son that they were
two years apart. Three years old plus 2 years old equals 5 years old,
he explained.
DragonBox Algebra 5+ teaches the principles of algebra through a game.
The interface of MathBoard resembles a chalkboard.
I was hugely proud of his reasoning and math skills. He hasn’t learned
them exclusively at school. His math learning has happened, in part, on a
tablet running educational math apps that we’ve found for him. He’s
learned addition and subtraction, and as he gets older he’ll be learning
even more complex math this way, too.
The most impressive math education app I’ve seen has to be DragonBox Algebra 5+. What impresses me is that its clever design can teach all sorts of complex algebra concepts without making children feel as if they are learning mathematics.
The app is like a game, and it starts at an abstract level: The player
has to match small cartoon icons with their matching “dark”
alternatives, eventually arranging the pieces on the playing board so
that only the magical “box” of the game’s title is left on the board. As
the child plays through the levels, the abstract cartoon icons are
eventually replaced with numbers and proper mathematical symbols, but
with the same gameplay and sound effects.
It’s fun, and the graphics and sound effects are attractive enough to
keep children playing. And while they’re playing, they are unknowingly
learning some of the same math principles that you need when you’re
doing algebra — addition, subtraction, balancing an equation, even
concepts like parentheses. Play it yourself and you’ll see how much fun
it is.
Perhaps the main drawback to this app is its complicated menus. If
you’re going to use it with 5-year-olds, it’s probably best to keep them
company so they don’t get frustrated by instructions they cannot read.
It is also surprisingly expensive, at $6, but you get over 200 puzzles
for your money. The app is on iOS and Android.
The adorable YodelOh Math Mountain app also stays within the
learning-through-games genre, but for a more introductory level of math.
This app involves a cartoon yodeler
who ascends a graphical mountain over time — if he gets to the top, he
yodels his way to his doom over the edge. To keep the yodeler from
climbing the peak, the player has to answer math questions against the
clock.
For example, the question may be “10 x 15 = ?” and the five options are
“0, 1, 50, 150, 200.” Tapping the right answer saves the yodeler,
whereas taking too long or tapping the wrong answer makes him take a
step up the mountain or get butted uphill by a cartoon ram. The idea is
that by keeping the entire app lighthearted and full of amusing sounds
and images, children do not notice that they’re being tested on their
arithmetic skills.
The app offers a less extensive learning experience than DragonBox, but
it still has the ability to hone specific math skills because you can
choose whether to test just basic subtraction, addition and so on. It’s
$3 on iOS and, $2 on Android.
For an alternative app, try Madagascar Math Ops — a game filled with characters
from the “Madagascar” cartoon movie franchise. Like Math Mountain, the
app has a multiple-choice mental math quiz, but Math Ops has more
animation. Winning moves are rewarded with a short in-app game — flying
penguin fun that will remind you of Angry Birds. There is a free edition
with limited levels on both iOS and Android; the full version costs $3.
For a slightly more traditional route, try MathBoard. It has gamelike
elements, but it’s based on a simulated old-fashioned school chalkboard.
The app’s screen is split into a quiz area and a work area. In the quiz
area, a math puzzle is posed using traditional notation, perhaps
something like 47 - 5 = ? Players choose the answer from a list of
numbers to solve the puzzle, and they can use the faux chalkboard on the
other side of the screen to work out the solution. If they get stuck, a
“problem solver” window that shows each stage required to correctly
work out the answer can be brought up. It’s like help from a private
math tutor.
There are other game options available in this app, like choosing which
number is greater than another. Because you can adjust the difficulty of
the puzzles, and the problem-solver teaches the player about math, this
app is a great way for children to practice their math skills. My chief
complaints are that MathBoard could be more fun without distracting
from the learning aspects, and that it has a $5 price tag on iOS and Android.
Quick Call
Star Wars: Tiny Death Star may be the most amusing new app to hit
smartphones recently. In this game, rich with cute, old-style 8-bit
graphics, you have to manage the processes and people of the famous
“Star Wars” battle station. Think FarmVille meets Darth Vader. Free on iOS, Android and Windows Phone.