My 7 year old son saved up his money and recently bought his very own IPod Touch. He is an excellent reader and right away was drawn to word apps such as Scrabble, Words With Friends, and now Hanging with Friends. He is learning SO many new words and having a great time playing these games with other family members (It is almost embarrassing when he beats me in a game).
He likes the word apps because they are fun. He has no idea how much learning is taking place during these "games" which amazes me. This is what learning is all about at his age :)
I am however, a little surprised at his lack of interest in any other type of app. Yes, like most kids, he did have an Angry Bird addiction for a few weeks but these word apps seem to have staying power. Today I realized that he's never asked me to install any type of math app. I'm left wondering if there are any fun math apps out there that kids can play and enjoy - so here starts the experiment.
I have installed 9 free math apps on his IPod tonight. I'm going to give him a week to test them out and I'll report back here. I'm looking for an app with staying power. One he will want to play for more than a few days before deleting it. One that focuses on not only number sense but thinking and problem solving as well. At first glance I see a lot of flash-card type apps but we shall see if any of them have successfully mixed fun with learning!
The apps I installed are (in no particular order)......
MathTappers: ClockMaster - HeavyLifters Network Ltd.
Clockmaster is a game to help children make the connection between hours and minutes and to help them become fluent in both reading and setting time on digital and analog clocks.
Farmers Market - TabTale Ltd.
A rich and colorful upbeat children's game which introduces Numbers, Colors, Fruits and Vegetables in a fun and educational process.
Kids Math Fun - Kindergarten - NSC Partners LLC
This application encourages Kindergarten children to practice the addition of two single digit numbers, and the subtraction of two single digit numbers.
Mad Math Lite - Lunchbox Apps
Mad Math is perfect for kids to practice their addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts. Students can even draw right on the flashcard!
Math Puppy Bingo Challenge - Kids Games Club
Math Puppy is designed with 3 difficulty levels and 5 game types that provide complete coverage of basic math skills for pre-school, elementary school, grade school and more.
Pop Math Lite - PopSoft
It is a fun way for kids to practice basic math:6 pairs of bubbles with numbers float on the screen above beautiful backgrounds. Pop the right pairs that add to a specific sum.
Rocket Math Free - Dan Russel-Pinson
Math can be fun! Build your very own rockets and fly them to the stars with Rocket Math!
Simple Math for Kids - iTech Developers
Easier than ever, children learn simple math such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
ArithmeTick Math Flash Cards - Pomegranate Software
How fast can you add and multiply? Solve math problems against the clock!
Tune in next week for our review of these apps!
