Quick Math Jr is a fun way to develop early mathematical skills. It covers topics such as counting, number writing, place value, addition, and subtraction. Children have the opportunity to play six different mini games all of which have a monster theme (cute rather than scary).
Easy to Use
Users begin by pressing the large play button and a random game selector chooses the game they will play. All of these are fairly easy to follow and visual guidance is provided in the form of a hand that demonstrates what they need to do. As children progress through the levels they get to create their own fun monsters by winning features such as eyes, mouths and hats. They then get to see their creations appear as part of the game.
Quick Math Jr enables children to engage with numbers in a range of ways. For example, in one game they have to count monsters and make matches between different representations of the number. These include dot patterns and the numbers written as words. In another game children get to practice the skills of subitizing. This is the ability to quickly and accurately determine a quantity without counting. Other games focus on number sequencing, counting on, counting back, and skip counting.
My favourite game is called Place Value Boat Balance which teaches children about equality by getting them to balance numbers on a boat. Some numbers have already been added to one end of the boat and it is the child’s job to add the same amount to the other end. The boat becomes level in the water if they get it right but lists to one end or the other if the wrong amounts have been added. This is a very effective, visual introduction to concept of equations.
Automatic Adjustments
A nice feature of Quick Math Jr is that it adjusts the difficulty level of questions to the user. Most apps do not do this and require an adult or the user themselves to make adjustments manually. The fact that Quick Math Jr does this automatically means that the questions are always pitched at just the right level to challenge the child but not overwhelm them. This is a great way to ensure that the maximum amount of learning takes place.
Another really interesting feature of this app is the ability to provide handwritten answers in some of the games. This is surprisingly accurate and is a wonderful way for children to interact with the app. Quick Maths Jr also has an unlimited number of user profiles making it perfect for use in the classroom.
Improvements
One improvement I would like to see relates to the random game selector and the inability of users to select a game that they particular like. While this is obviously a good way of ensuring that they cover the full range of skills contained within the app, it may lead to some children becoming frustrated. It would therefore be useful if an option to let kids make their own game choices was available. This could perhaps be contained within a settings page and protected by a parental lock.
Another very helpful addition would be a method of tracking a child’s progress. As it stands, parents and teachers have no way of monitoring how a child is doing unless they observe the child playing with the app and take a note of what they can and can’t do. If there was a results page with details of progress, that would prove very useful, particularly in the context of a classroom.
There are no adverts or in-app purchases within Quick Math Jr. There is a link to other apps by Shiny Things but this is protected by a parental gate. Quick Math Jr is usually £2.29/$2.99 but is available free for a limited time.
Peter
Educational App Advice
