Most parents try to limit the amount of screen time their children have each day, but sometimes its hard to avoid. So much of our world is not the easiest for parents with little ones.  Weddings, restaurants, and church are just some of the places that require our kids to sit still for a long time, which is hard for most kids under 5. In these cases screen time is necessary to keep everyone’s sanity. Why not use their screen time as a way to improve math skills through math apps? Today I’m doing something a little bit different. Today’s post is by Lisha Riabinina, a fellow mom to a seven year old boy who is shares my passion of helping parents improve their children’s math skills. Read to find out her recommendations on the 9 best math apps for your kids!

9 Math Apps to Improve your Kid’s Math Skills

Education today is very different from what it was twenty years ago. Kids of the 80s and early 90s grew up without a computer or 24/7 internet access. We learned how to multiply on paper; even a calculator was a luxury. In 2017, it’s a completely different world.

My seven-year-old son has his own Google account that he can access at school, in his computer class, and he is learning how to code. Yes, this is a part of the curriculum these days! Can you imagine? We, as parents, are trying to control the amount of time our kids are spending in front of screens. We limit their TV time to an hour or less. We control their social media usage and try to take away the iPad when we see them playing that arcade game for the second hour. But is all technology equally bad?

The new world of technology includes advancements in how our kids learn. Do you remember when the most you could do was call and text from your phone? Three hundred new iPhone apps on average are released on a daily basis! And now, many of them can help your kids do their homework, study and understand difficult concepts.

Here is a list of my favorite apps for math and science. Hope you’ll find these as useful as I have for getting your kids unstuck!

Post contains affiliate links.  For more information please see disclosure.

If your kid is in a preschool:

Animal Math Games for Kids
At this age, math should be fun and entertaining. For a five-year-old, numbers don’t really mean anything. They are just symbols, so it is much easier for preschoolers to memorize them by playing a game, so they can associate a number with a familiar object.

Available for both iPad and iPhone!

Sink or Float
This app is a lot of fun and a learning experience at the same time. Your kid has to choose if the object will sink or float in the water–that’s it! Sounds very simple, right? But for your four-year-old, it may be not as easy as you think! For example, do you know if a strawberry will sink or float?

Available on both iPad and iPhone !

Elementary school level:

Clever Bird Early Science
This app costs just two dollars and it will be money well spent! There are fifteen lessons to start with and you can buy more lessons later. Complex science events, like evaporation, are explained in a simple way based on the activities your child is already familiar with.

Available on both iPad and iPhone !

Quick Math – Multiplication Table & Arithmetic Game
Quick Math is the perfect app for students from first to fifth grade and covers assignments in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Developers of Quick Math kept the design clean and simple, but the way you have to submit an answer is quite different. Your kid will have to not just pick the correct answer, but he will also have to “write” it on the screen. It can help boost arithmetic skills and your kid will enjoy setting up new records!

Available on both iPad and iPhone!

Middle school:

Math 42
Great app for middle school age students to get some extra help with math homework. With a math keyboard and step-by-step solutions, Math 42 can show your student how to solve the problem. (You don’t have to stay up late nights with your kid anymore trying to remember what was that Algebra topic was about!) However, this app won’t be that helpful with complex calculus problems when your teenager is in high school.

Available on iPad and iPhone!

Khan Academy
Unlike Math 42, the Khan Academy App is great for any age! Khan Academy is totally free and you won’t even believe the database of lessons you can find on the app. With more than 10,000 videos, the sky is the limit! The app is totally free to download and use. Because it’s never too late to learn something new, you can even find some useful lessons for yourself!

Available on iPad and iPhone!

High-school

Brainscape – Smart Flashcards
Do you remember times when you spent hours making your own flashcards to prepare for a test? Technology makes flashcards easier too! With Brainscape students can create their own flashcards or browse through a library of pre-uploaded topics. As a bonus, students can share their flashcards with each other. The basic version of the app is free.

Available on iPad and iPhone!

Pundits
The Pundits app can help when Math 42 can’t! When your teenager is stuck on their geometry or calculus homework, you can’t just google how to solve the problem. (You know what I am talking about if you tried it at least once!) He needs help from a professional tutor. Pundits tutors work on-demand and you don’t have to schedule a session ahead of time. Just take a picture of one problem at a time, submit it in the app and get connected to a tutor who can help you. And the best part is that the first sixty minutes are free!

Available on iPad and iPhone!

For any age:

The Homework App
This app can be a great help for all students to keep track of their schedules and homework. You can also add teachers’ contact information, ensuring that you never lose another email address. Staying organized will get you one step ahead!

Available on iPad and iPhone!

What do you think of Lisha’s list? Which ones do you think you will try with your kids? Are there any you would add? Let me know in the comments below!

More about Lisha!

Lisha is originally from Saint-Petersburg, Russia, and moved to LA 4 years ago with her 3-year-old son. She had to start life from scratch, but with the help of friends, technology, hard work and consistent optimism managed to add to her photography career lots of marketing experience.  She is now helping brands to succeed! Her son Iarik is 7 years old and goes to second grade, he learns how to code, plays guitar and enjoys sort related activities.

For other ideas on how to teach your child about Math, check out my posts!
5 Simple Ways to Make Math Fun
6 Ways to Teach Your Kids Math is Fun
Preschool Math with Magnetic Numbers