Math Academy Makes Speed Drills A Blast
Math Academy - TAG ($0.99) by The App Gate Inc. somehow manages to make speed drills fun. The colors and smooth graphics are very kid friendly, and there are prizes to earn as a reward for correct answers.
As an educator, I've seen my share of math apps. I think it's great that so many developers are trying to come up with ways to make mundane math tasks just a little more tolerable.
Choose from a variety of problems: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. After the type of problem is chosen, you will also need to choose easy, medium or hard problems then pick between speed (timed problems) or endurance mode (how long can you keep going).
Math Academy is so kid friendly and easy to navigate. The buttons are large and simple for tiny fingers to touch. Each challenge (speed or endurance) has an easy, medium and hard mode that spans several grade levels.
The motivational system Math Academy uses is a point system. Get answers right, earn points, buy stickers. The stickers are hidden behind mystery question marks. Once your child earns enough to buy a sticker, they will learn what is behind the mystery mark they picked.
I try to think critically when it comes to educational games in order to give the developer constructive feedback for future updates. I had a hard time finding "flaws" with Math Academy, but do have one idea for the future: When a problem is answered incorrectly, a red check mark is given out, but the game moves on to the next problem and doesn't give the child a second or third chance to answer correctly. I'd like to see the second and third chance added in the future so kids can learn from their mistakes.
Overall, this is a beautifully crafted, kid-friendly math supplement for kids tackling basic math. I give it two thumbs up and look forward to more great updates in the future.
