Children have individual learning styles ranging from primarily visual to necessarily tactile. Young children, especially, may require direct interaction with what they are learning about in order to successfully grasp foundational concepts, such as basic mathematics. The following children's educational websites provide interactive, multimedia math games and activities that engage learners of all types and help establish a solid foundation of basic skills.
Math Games
"Cyberchase teaches kids that math is everywhere, everyone can be good at it, and it's fun!"
- Cyberchase at PBSKids.org, an online companion to the award-winning children's educational television series, provides a variety of standards-based math games, quests, and adventures, designed for children ages eight and up.
- MathBlaster at JumpStart.com, is an 3D virtual world dedicated to math missions.
- Math Arcade at FunBrain.com, part of Family Education Network, presents a series of 25 games for grade levels 1st through 8th. Parents and teachers can use the game finder search tool to locate math games categorized by grade level. One of the top games, Math Baseball, is available in versions for grades 2nd through 9th. Some games are available for download.
- KS1 Bitesize Games at BBC.co.uk, provides a series of games on basic math concepts including addition and subtraction, multiplication, division, place values, measurement, telling time, etc. Many of the games include complementary printable worksheets.
- Online Science and Interactive Simultions also include math-related concepts.
Math Movies
BrainPOP, Jr., for grade levels K through 3rd, and the original BrainPOP animated online curriculum program, provide math games and animated math movies on math topics, such as graphing, division, geometry, and metric vs. imperial measuring systems, some free movies, and free trial access to give the subscription a try.
More Ways to Learn Math
- Unschooling Math - Unschoolers learn math through a variety of methods and experiences.
- Life of Fred Math Through Story - Learn math along with Fred's quirky narrative.
- Money, Currency, and Financial Literacy Games - Dollars and cents, spending and saving, and entrepreneurial kids.
- A Homeschool History Lesson on Money - Money is more than dollars and cents. It has an interesting history.
Math is everywhere, and it can be fun, especially on children's websites such as the ones listed above. These interactive, multimedia math games and activities give learners of all kinds a fun way to gain a strong foundation of basic math skills.
You might also enjoy: The Online Homeschool Collection
Sara McGrath - Sara is a veteran homeschool mom of three, Usborne consultant, and the author of Unschooling: A Lifestyle of Learning.
Join the Conversation