Turning to these math websites for games can be best for a child struggling with elementary math.
No More Math Monsters!
Kids are afraid of monsters under their beds. They are also afraid of monsters that exist in their heads. They are what we call Math Monsters.
Games promote healthy learning, reducing anxiety in kids and leading to greater retention. We’re here to examine why games should be our go-to learning medium. We will also review some of the best platforms for math games, including ones split according to grades.
Let’s Dive In
- Best Websites for Math Games
- Best Math Games for Grades K-5
- 10 Reasons Why Kids Should Take Help from Games on Math Websites
SplashLearn
SplashLearn believes that learning should be fearless and fun. It has gamified the common core math curriculum for Pre-K to Grade 5. Your kids can learn and practice new concepts with the help of unique and exciting games. It also offers a daily learning path customized to every kid’s needs and focus area.
SplashLearn: Most Comprehensive Learning Program for PreK-5
SplashLearn inspires lifelong curiosity with its game-based PreK-5 learning program loved by over 40 million children. With over 4,000 fun games and activities, it’s the perfect balance of learning and play for your little one.
Try for free
With SplashLearn, you can get detailed insights into your kids’ progress. Many teachers and schools have integrated SplashLearn in their learning methods for math and English language arts. The vivid visuals and vibrant games create an immersive experience for kids to learn all the important concepts!
Related Reading: SplashLearn Teacher Starter Guide
PBS Kids
PBS shows and characters have always been popular amongst kids. Gamifying the world of familiar characters (same as in PBS shows) is a significant step towards enhancing kids’ learning.
Get The Math
An initiative by thirteen.org, Get The Math helps kids understand math used in the real world. The games and videos on the platform explain the math behind music, fashion, video games, restaurants, and special effects. There isn’t a division of content according to grade or level on the forum, but kids can easily understand the videos available. And they most certainly will be awestruck by how integral math is to nearly every area of our lives, from the classroom to the playground, from sports grounds to restaurants, and buildings to gardens.
Funbrain
Funbrain has math games, reading games, and videos that kids can explore. They provide content for all grades.
Turtle Diary
With a focus on the most challenging topics for kids, Turtle Diary has a range of interactive games to enhance the understanding of essential concepts and make learning fun.
Math Playground
Math Playground has games for kids of grades K-6 and covers all major topics.
Math4Children
From zombie games to monkey pirates digging for treasure, games on Math4Children have the most vivid settings. With content available for grades K-7, they offer games that your kids will enjoy greatly. Most of the games are posed as multiple-choice questions.
Mr. Nussbaum
An underrated platform, Mr. Nussbaum has games where kids can practice math and understand the underlying principles and concepts. The platform has games based on the standard core math curriculum of grades 1, 2 and 3.
Best Math Games for Grades K-5
Picking out the best games in a sea of math games isn’t the most pleasant task.
But we’ve got you covered! Here are some of the best math games for grades K-5 that we have shortlisted. All these games will be a great place to start off your kids’ journey into becoming fearless learning ninjas!
Grades K-1
Shapes at Amusement Park: Chapter 2.1
SplashLearn
You are just a free sign-up away from letting your kids explore the world of 2-D shapes. “The Shapes at the Amusement Park” game by SplashLearn will help your children identify shapes and their attributes in the most fun and pleasant way.
PBS kids
It is an excellent game if you want your kid to understand patterns. Engaging visuals, chicken moves, and peppy music are just what kids need to enjoy learning.
Peg+Cat The Perfect 10 Problem
PBS kids
Do you want your kids to ace addition within 10?
Then the “Peg+Cat The Perfect 10 Problem” game is just the game for them. With the unusual premise and catchy performances, they will surely love this one.
Grades 2-3
SplashLearn
Multiplication is a ghost that haunts kids during most of their elementary school. Grasping the standard algorithm can make kids find the right answer, but they might never understand the principles underneath. “Journey Chapter 1.1” is the perfect game if your kids are struggling to understand basic multiplication principles.
Math4children
Are your kids struggling to understand place values? Then help them understand it with the “Kitten Race Place Value” game. Kids may not get it right in the first go, but consistent practice will make their kitten win the race while your kids win at math.
Mr. Nussbaum
Time is a topic that many kids have a hard time grasping, but what if your kids had to set the clocks on their own? Wouldn’t they be curious about which hand goes where and why? In the game “Clockworks”, children don’t have to identify time on the clock but set the given time. If your kids are kinesthetic learners, this is the place to go.
Turtle Diary
Number Lines can be confusing for kids. And fractions on a number line may even be more puzzling. “Hit the Unit Fraction” is the perfect game for your kids to practice identifying fractions on a number line. On most platforms, the division of the number line is restricted to 10 parts. But, in this game, the number line can be divided into any number of parts so that kids learn the basics rather than learning a formula.
Grades 4-5
Mr. Nussbaum
Fractions can be tricky. Not getting the principles right can make it a lifelong disaster. Here is where “Tony’s Fractions Pizza Shop” comes in handy. Children have to get each pizza order right and to do so, they need to understand fractions. Once your kids play this game, they can sail the fractions ship quite smoothly 🚢.
Mr. Nussbaum
Financial literacy is a life skill children ought to learn. “Cash Out” can help kids develop the right kind of financial literacy at their level. In the game, kids receive money and give back the correct change, just like in real life.
SplashLearn
Just like fractions, decimal numbers are also a tad difficult for kids to understand. A small decimal point can be a huge hindrance to your kid’s understanding of numbers. With “Stranded”, a game on SplashLearn, they can brush up their decimal skills through an adventure. Your fearless learning ninja can defeat the dot in a jiffy.
Related Reading: Best Math Games for Kids to Make Learning Fun
The 10 Reasons: Why Kids Should Take Help from Math Websites
1. Reduces Anxiety around Math💆🏻♀️
Kids associate games with fun. The engaging and interactive visuals in games keep their minds fully engrossed and engaged. Therefore, introducing math with these games on math websites will help them associate learning with fun and bid adieu to the anxiety blues. When the mind is fully engaged, we tend to remain calm, relaxed, and fully enjoy the moment.
2. More Fun and Less Boredom🕺🏽
Perhaps your kid isn’t anxious about math. But sometimes, when they are not able to fully grasp a concept, they lose interest. This can quickly put them off the subject.
The essence of gaming is participation and as there is total involvement, kids tend to understand concepts better and practice math more often with games.
3. Beats the Summer Learning Loss 🏃🏾♀️
Summer learning loss is a huge problem teachers face with students. It is a decrease in students’ knowledge or achievement levels when compared to the beginning of the summer break.
On the brighter side, summer breaks are also when kids’ imaginations run free. They experiment and explore different things. On a pleasant summer evening, your kid might be running a science experiment in the backyard or observing the behavior of ants when they find food. Through games, they can build the same enthusiasm for math. Games will help them understand and explore different mathematical ideas. If kids love the game, they will surf the entire internet to get to know more about it.
4. Enhances Strategic Thinking 🧠
Studies have shown that games improve strategic thinking.
Now imagine what combining games with math can do. Setting goals and navigating levels can train kids’ brains for systematic, organized, and strategic thinking.
To lead a successful life we need to strategize and manage our needs and wants. Failure to do so often leads to stress and frustration. If we focus on developing the correct mindset for our kids, they can have a smoother journey in the real world as adults. There are vast effects of childhood conditioning on adult life and a negative association with math during childhood can hinder kids from exploring the grander and exciting side of the subject. Games give chances for a positive association with the subject and help improve skills that are necessary to lead a balanced life.
5. Increases Curiosity 😮
According to Paul Lockhart, math should be an artistic pursuit and something that ignites curiosity. Unfortunately, the current system doesn’t allow math to be that for us.
The mechanical and tedious approach to math is deeply rooted in educational institutions. A generation of teachers have likely learned it the same way, but in this era of e-learning, we have a chance to break these shackles of convention. By using the right tools, we can help kids see the beauty of mathematics that Lockhart experienced. Math games will help them see math as art to experiment with. And where there is art, there is curiosity.
The Farnam Street blog puts this quite aptly. Curiosity will make kids engage with the world in more creative ways. They will be intrigued by the simplest things around them and go on to unveil the mathematical world that lies beneath it. By expanding children’s curiosity we automatically tap into their creativity. It is like a cascade effect. After all, there wouldn’t be rockets in space if it weren’t for Newton’s curiosity and creativity.
6. Promotes Interdisciplinary Learning 🎼🔧🧬
The nature of math games is interdisciplinary. There are always two worlds combined—the world of math and the character’s world. To give you an example, Agent Academy by PBS kids is a game based on a squad of agents. These agents go on to solve math problems and accomplish missions. This fascinating world helps kids understand mathematical concepts in an amusing way. Along with math, the little learners also become intrigued by the world of agents.
7. Wholesome Family Time 👨👩👧👧 👨👨👦👦 👩👧👧
Games offer a plethora of opportunities to engage and participate. Your kids are not only interacting with the game but others who are playing it (w.r.t multiplayer games).
Playing math games with little kids ensures quality time and understanding of their strengths and weaknesses. Getting involved in their learning process will give a fair idea of what areas you should focus on.
Most of the classrooms have an authority-subordinate setting where the teacher is on the pedestal and knowledge is being poured down to the kids. The same is true when parents are teaching their children. Games do away with this setting altogether. They make room for a friendlier aura.
8. More Math Talk 🧮
Math talk is vital to make the math learning process smoother for kids. The things we discuss and talk about become familiar to us. And familiar things aren’t scary. Part of the reason why some kids perceive math as a ‘monster’ is because they have little familiarity with it.
Bringing up math in daily conversations will help them sense it as a friendly and pleasant subject. Games on math websites offer the opportunity to carry out familiar and straightforward conversations around math. This way, math talk won’t be something kids will roll their eyes at. Instead, fun and engagement will make them look forward to it.
Related Reading: Best Children’s Books to Stimulate Kids’ Imagination & Creativity
9. Explores New Learning Styles 🧑🏾🏫 👩🏼💻
Education should celebrate the individuality of each child. Everyone has a different approach to learning new ideas and knowledge and not everyone can adjust to the conventional classroom methods.
Many studies support the idea of different learning styles. There are broadly four types of learning styles: visual, auditory, read-write, and kinesthetic.
Visual learners need visual aids to grasp ideas. Auditory learners learn better when they listen, talk, and discuss the concepts. Learners who prefer to read and write prefer to learn through language and words. Once they have understood the concepts, they can articulate them well.
Kinesthetic learners look for physical involvement to be able to learn things in the best way. Games are audio-visual methods of learning. Kids feel connected to games on a physical level as well because have to write the questions down to solve them. Games are inclusive of each child’s exclusive learning style, making them a unique and effective mode of learning.
10. Gives Way to Cooperative Learning 🤝
Before the pandemic, schools widely introduced cooperative learning into curriculums. Teachers and parents often discussed its benefits.
But with social distancing norms being put into place, group learning has taken a backseat. However, this doesn’t mean we can’t incorporate cooperative learning into classroom environments. Kids can form groups and play multiplayer games with their friends. This way, they won’t always be competitive and help each other score and win. When children try to explain things to each other, they relate better and learn fast.
Splashing the math blues away!
SplashLearn creates engaging learning experiences built to transform little kids into fearless learners. Its Pre-K to Grade 5 game-based learning program offers a fun and personalized learning experience, loved by over 40 million kids. It’s the perfect balance of learning and game-play that young learners need to build math and reading confidence.
