Bottom Line: Whether or not you want a new math facts app, this one with three modes of play and detailed data collection is the last one your kids will ever need to practice addition, subtraction multiplication and division.
If you would like to purchase SoGaBee's Math Facts Fun: Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication and Division ($2.99, Universal), please support Smart Apps for Kids and use this link:
My collection of math apps now numbers close to 100 and at least eight of them are devoted solely to math facts with all four operands. I can save the world from meteors with math, evolve into an alien life form using number sense, catch butterflies to count and whack moles to answer. With all this entertainment available, it's hard to get that excited about an app called SoGaBee's Math Facts Fun: Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication and Division.
After talking to Marcel Widarto, the developer behind SoGaBee, I have to admit to being a bit jazzed about this particular app. Apparently, it incorporates ideas and suggestions for improvements I made in a review of SoGaBee's earlier app Sight Words Spelling with Pixopop. There's nothing better than a developer that listens and no better flattery for a reviewer (other than a phone call from the New Yorker wanting to reprint a review) than to see her ideas used to make a good app great.
The best thing about Math Facts Fun is that it's highly usable. K-1 kids just starting out with addition can get their fill of practice. Their older siblings who just need a periodic refresher to stay sharp before standardized testing can also benefit from running through their multiplication tables. The app supports multiple user profiles which is a plus for teachers and those of us with more than one child.
The interface, which resembles Spelling with Pixopop, is very straightforward and easy to follow. Users have a choice of three different modes of play- flash cards, multiple choice and fill-in. They also have three different characters to play with that include a robot, dinosaur and girl named Sophie. The plus and minus kids will like them, the dividers less so since they seem a bit tame for fourth graders. When a character gets chosen, it smiles which is cute.
All three modes of play allow users to select an operation on which to work and level or number family. Flash cards are plain white cards with the problem written out as 2+2=? in quiz mode or 2+2=4. Just running through cards isn't flashy or exciting but it is how 99% of kids master math facts. I do wish the lower numbers had an option for visuals as many kids need this reinforcement when first learning a new sign.
Multiple choice is the best way to run through problems quickly. Here, kids have to sequentially unlock each level above three by completing the preceding level. I cheat and read the last chapter of a good book before I finish it and I regularly read spoilers of my favorite TV shows so the idea of locked levels isn't something I'd advocate. It especially bothers me for multiplication since the 5 and 10 tables are significantly easier than others and may be learned first. I do like that the decoy answers from a field of four are all close to the real answer and missed questions automatically go to a tricky problems list for extra practice.
Fill-in turns your little math wizard into a human calculator. A problem appears on the screen and the child has to key in the answer. It is a bit confusing at first that entry requires tapping out the answer then hitting the = sign. Both the multiple choice and fill-in methods of play rely on a three strikes you're out rule. Also, data is collected for each session played in these modes. The data collection is comprehensive. Each session is recorded with the date, name of the test, problems correct out of the total and time to complete. Parents and teachers will have no trouble tracking progress with this app.
As levels are unlocked and mastered, students earn items in the trophy room. This feature again shows the difficulty in having a single app cover skills practiced by kids age 6-11. The + and - crowd may get excited by stickers, tokens and virtual bunnies, but my 10 year old twins are motivated by cash, computer time and getting to stay up past their bedtime. I'd like to see an option for parents to customize rewards in much the same way they can customize levels.
All kids have to learn their math facts, and it generally takes several years to commit them to memory. It would be great if Math Facts had a way to up the ante for the bigger kids. This format is so flexible and it makes math about as fun as math can be. Why not truly distinguish itself from similar multi-sign apps and add in the dreaded negative numbers? That would be an addition of major proportions.
Recommended.
Jill Goodman and her plus one have twin boys. smartappsforkids.com was paid a priority-review fee to complete this review in an expedited manner.
Comments