Teaching Math with Online Math Games

Internet Games for Learning Math Skills and Practicing Mathematics

Jun 26, 2009 Lisa Russell

Learn about teaching math and learning math with games on the internet. Kids and adults enjoy playing games and these games are designed to sharpen your math skills.

Mathematics often gets a bad rap. Loaded with practical usage, teachers and parents see and know that math is part of everyday life. Conveying that to students, however, can be difficult. Every game of strategy, skill or chance relies on practical applications of mathematical principles, from pool to baseball to checkers. In fact, it's through games that children are often exposed to higher mathematical principles before a conscious explanation of these principles can be understood. Indeed, playing games can reinforce math studies. There are several online math games for kids to play.

Jump Start Math Games

A leader in educational gaming for several years, Knowledge Adventure, Inc., the company that produces the Jump Start computer games, has a website with a monthly membership fee that allows everyone in the family the opportunity to enjoy games from several subject areas and grade levels with one low fee. In the past, customers would purchase boxed discs with individual grade levels for around $20. Thanks to online distribution, for under $10 a month, families can now access an entire library of online math games as well as games that help kids master language arts, social studies and sciences. The Jump start Program is intended for kids age 3-10 but can be an effective way for older kids to practice remedial skills without condemnation.

KidThing for Online Math Games

Kid Thing is a downloadable browser that allows children to access educational materials online at no cost, but filters out some of the potentially harmful resources that may be found online. Developed by concerned parents, the goal of KidThing is to provide safe and secure access to educational resources on the internet without using traditional search engines.

Content that is included in KidThing is screened and cataloged, so that kids never have to enter web addresses and aren't exposed to advertising. It's more like a media player that uses content from educational publishing companies to help kids find games, videos and resources without stumbling upon objectionable material.

GameQuarium Online Math Games

The developers at GameQuarium have created a site that it easily navigated by children and adults. With games divided both by name and by specific mathematical skill, parents, teachers and children can access activities for different purposes, whether it's for fun or to reinforce classroom lessons. Games are interactive and designed for kids as young as preschool. They also offer a selection of multiplication videos.

FunBrain Math Games Online

FunBrain offers games that span the entire curriculum. In addition to the games in the virtual arcade, they offer animated cartoon stories and a newsletter for kids, parents and teachers with learning ideas and tips. They regularly release new content, and kids seem to enjoy the activities and online educational games offered on the website.

Other online games for teaching math include Karma Tycoon developed by JP Morgan Chase for Dosomething.org, and printable math games available from sites like Enchanted Learning. Students can practice algebra with Facebook's Farmville. Additionally, many math curriculum companies and software companies like Sheppard Software are sharing math games and that can be accessed through their websites to reinforce lessons in the curriculum. For many kids, games are a stress free way to practice math skills.

The copyright of the article Teaching Math with Online Math Games in Homeschooling is owned by Lisa Russell. Permission to republish Teaching Math with Online Math Games in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Internet Math Games are Fun