A little math review never hurt anyone, right? For an easy way for your children to practice math, check out this Go Math! Academy review.
Homework, lunch boxes, and busy mornings — school is in full swing now. It was an amazing summer with my kids. I was pretty proud of myself for keeping them entertained and on the go for the majority of the summer. But with all the play dates, beach trips, and family hikes, we needed a little refresher on academics at the beginning of the school year.
This is a partnered post with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Not to be braggy, but my kids are good at math. Georgia even won first place in the Math Bee last year. Trust me, those aren’t my genes. I passed along the sweet tooth gene, the remember ridiculous trivia gene, and the life of the party gene. Just the same, most kids need a little review before school starts and doing a little extra practice never hurt anyone.
We received a two-month subscription of Go Math! Academy, presented by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Those names may sound familiar from your own childhood as the publishers of your school text books. But this isn’t an online textbook. Go Math! Academy is a fun way to conquer math skills online.
Here’s what we loved about Go Math! Academy:
Individualized Experience. Each subscription comes with up to 5 profiles. Each child has the chance to select his/her theme and work at the appropriate level. I love the tag line “Catch up, keep up, or get ahead with Go Math! Academy.” Each child is unique and using Go Math!, he/she can start at the right level and progress at a pace that fits the child best.
Support and Instruction. Sometimes kids get stuck. Go Math! Academy offers both a Help Me feature and, on some problems, a Show Me feature. When you select Show Me, a video featuring an adorable puppet walks you through the steps to solve the problems. Whenever the videos are available, my kids would watch them even if they knew how to complete the problem. You can also access the videos from the Video Library for a fun brain break.
Math-Based Games. If it’s not fun, the kids won’t play. So I’m thrilled that after a series of lessons, kids get to play a game that reinforces math skills. Bubble Pop, Crazy Curves, and Jelly Beans are some of the fun games.
Progress Monitoring. I received an email with a Quick Progress Report. It told me the lessons completed by each child and the awards they received. This information is also accessible through the Parent Dashboard.
Modern Problem Presentation. Math has changed. Well, math hasn’t changed but the presentation of it is drastically different. In school we learned drills and more straight-forward computation. A switch is being made towards more applicable use of math skills. The Go Math! Academy seems challenging at first because of its adherence to the more modern methodologies. However, it’ll support the style your child is most likely learning math in school.
One thing I would improve on the Go Math! Academy site is specific for my kindergartner. She’s not a fluent reader and the problems are word-heavy. You can press an icon to have each component of the problem read aloud, but you’d have to press multiple times per problem. For kindergartners or developing readers, expect to be assisting the process rather than an independent math practice.
We do have a subscription to ABC Mouse, another online academic instructional service. Using ABC Mouse, children earn tickets for completing lessons and then can purchase items for their avatar or pets. It’s a lot of fun, but my children spend more time feeding their virtual hamster than practicing skills. I appreciate that the focus for Go Math! Academy is on learning, but presents the lessons in a fun way.
If your child is looking to catch up, keep up, or get ahead, check out Go Math! Academy. Subscriptions begin at just $9.99/month but purchasing 6 months or a year at a time can mean savings up to 33%.
Would Go Math! Academy benefit your child?
Billie says
My son needs some serious math help, he just started his senior year in high school.
Melanie says
I’m sorry to hear that! Go Math! doesn’t go up to high school, but I’m sure there are other resources that could help him.
Anne-Marie @ This Mama Cooks! On a Diet says
Now that math is taught so differently than we were kids – to the point where teachers tell you NOT to help your kids at all with homework – something like this would be of great benefit.
Melanie says
I’ve not heard that! My kids’ teachers encourage us to help (just not do it for them). Maybe it’s because my kids are little.
Kecia says
I love these services that make learning fun. We aren’t ready for Go Math Academy just yet (my son is just about to turn 4), but I will definitely keep it in mind!
Melanie says
The kindergarten program starts with counting to 5, so it won’t be too long!
Janelle Phinney says
I purchased a one-year subscription for my 4-year-old (almost 5) since he can count well and was ready to begin simple addition/subtraction problems but doesn’t have the fine motor skills for traditional math workbooks. He LOVES this program!!! In fact, we have completed all but one unit of Kindergarten in three months! He begs me to do math nearly every day – he laughs and laughs at the puppets in the videos – I’m very pleased. This is not a complete math curriculum. He has not mastered some of the concepts, but he has a very good introduction to them and should have an easy time with any Kindergarten math curriculum. I purchased some manipulatives so we can continue to practice the concepts together and now we are working on writing numbers so that he can move to a more traditional math curriculum soon.
Mandi says
My 9 year old struggles with math because of his disabilities, so we are always looking for new ways to teach and make it fun for him. Definitely going to check this out!
Melanie says
Kids really take to interactive & engaging lessons. I hope it is a good fit for your son.
Penelope Guzman says
My son hasn’t really focused much on math yet, this may be helpful for us
Melanie says
I know not every kid is interested in math. My daughters argued about whose turn it was, so I know that they were enjoying it.
Colleen says
My daughter would definitely enjoy this since she loves math.
Melanie says
We need more girl mathematicians & scientists!
Melissa says
We have been using this too and my son loves it. It’s much better than the one his school recommends!
Melanie says
I’m so glad he has been enjoying it! My daughters accused each other of trying to be smarter than the other by using it extra.
Kathy says
We have been using this for a little while now and love it!
Janel (A Mom's Take) says
I think this would definitely benefit my boys. This is the first I am hearing of this.
Kathleen says
Wow, this sounds like something we really need to try. The boys could always use a little extra help in math.
Rosey says
I like that you get a quick progress report. That’s a great way to see how much is really being learned on paper *or computer* which is more definitive than just guessing.
Liz Mays says
All that practice through fun games is clearly paying off!
Sarah says
This post is perfect timing! I received a note from my daughter’s teacher that she needed a “homework ambassador” to help her with her math curriculum. Fun games like these will only increase her love of math.
Valerie Remy-Milora says
My girls attend a full immersion French school and most of their math is taught in French and with the French approach… this looks lie a great support tool though.
Lisa says
My kids are going to have to try this out!
Tammy says
I love ‘edutainment’ video games 🙂 I’m a huge believer that learning while having fun benefits everybody! We homeschooled our daughter and she did all her math “online” and she is incredibly good at math so much so that she is able to do the Sophomore Calculus class in University next semester and she is just an incoming freshman! …so those programs work!
Danielle K says
I love when games are educational. This looks like it’s fun for them and I think it’s great they send a progress report too. Will definitely be checking this out for my kid.
Kimberly Grabinski says
My kids are good at math too but this looks cute and every little bit of practice they can get can’t hurt!
Krissy says
We definitely don’t have the good math gene in my family either! I need to set my son up on this so he doesn’t struggle like his older sisters did. Thanks for sharing.
Megan @mnmspecial says
Math is really hard for my daughter. I bet this would be a big help to our family.
Rachel says
Oh what a fun way to learn with math! 🙂 Ill have to check this out!
Chelle @ Oh Just Stop Already says
Heading there now to check it out for our 8 year old. He’s a HUGE numbers man like his daddy. Me on the other hand, hmm yeah wonder if this site would help me lol.
Melanie says
I wish they could give me a little refresher! Is there a how not to spend to much at Target lesson?
valmg @ Mom Knows It All says
Sounds like a helpful service. It’s so much easier for kids to learn when it’s fun. They didn’t have anything like this when my oldest was younger.
Theresa Gould @ Faith and Family Reviews says
This sounds great, I know my kids would enjoy it! I’ll have to check it out.
Tiff @ Babes and Kids says
My kids love to play on the computer and I feel better about letting them do so if they can be involved in something educational like this. It’s nice that it provides an individual experience for each person playing.
HilLesha says
What a great program! My son loves math, and he is good at it, too. I can’t say the same for myself, though. ~lol~
Lynsey @MoscatoMom says
I need to see what grade level this goes up to – Math is the one subject I am NO help with for my girls. Its a struggle ALL the time to do math homework.
Elizabeth Ferree says
my son would love this. He’s in 2nd grade and the work according to him is EASY. So I’d love to challenge him once he is home so he can continue to move forward and not have to wait on everyone else. I love the fact there are more educational games out there now for younger kids.
Marcie W. says
I think all three of my children could use some extra practice in math. My oldest is in fifth grade and struggles when it comes time to grasp new concepts. A review and additional practice could definitely help her overall success.
Floyd says
Not sure if anyone mentioned it, but http://www.khanacademy.org is a wonderful system that allows parents and students to remediate or accelerate with video support , step by step explanations, lots of practice problems and many tracking/analytical tools. Cost… FREE. 🙂
Floyd says
Forgot to mention khan is more appropriate for slightly more independent learners. Anyone who craves cute animations might be intimidated, but there is a fun reward/badge system for motivation and progress along with emailed progress reports for coaches/parents. I would guess a mature 7 to 9 year old may be capable of making the leap to khan which has full resources from arithmetic through AP Calculus BC.