Math Playground is an educational website that offers a wide variety of math games, videos and interactive activities for students in kindergarten to grade six. The games are organized by subject and grade level and some of them are aligned to Common Core Standards.
Math Playground games cover different topics including fraction games, division games, multiplication games, ratio games, pre-algebra games, geometry games, and more.
Math Playground, the premium version, enables teachers to create classes and assign games to students. Using their credentials, students can sign in to class and access the assigned games. Unfortunately, Math Playground does not offer performance tracking tools and progress reports. The games are ideal for mere math practice.
Also, the free version of the site comes loaded with ads and often times the ads are hard to decipher from games hence the importance of teachers and parents selecting and monitoring the whole game experience of their students and kids.
How to use Math Playground games in your class?
As a teacher, you can use Math Playground games to extend the learning that takes place in class and provide students with assignments to practice math concepts they learned. You can assign math games as homework for extra practice.
A number of games in Math Playground are multiplayer games that students can play in class with other another, fun competitive way to engage student in math learning.
Besides math, Math Playground also features games that can help students develop skills in areas related to grammar and language learning, typing and keyboarding, spelling, geography, and more. The site also provides teachers with pre-made resources to use in class including printable practice worksheets, a modeling tool, and more.
Math games in Math Playground
Math games in Math Playground are organized by grade level (kindergarten to 6th grade) and by subject (e.g., addition games, multiplication and division games, Fractions games, Shapes and Graphs, Pre-algebra games, Money and Time games, and more). Each subject area contains several math games that help kids and students practice and learn a particular set of skills.
For instance, the Fraction games section offers several games that focus on teaching kids the concept of fractions through a number of learning games that include Bridge Builders, Brain Builders, Compare Fractions, Galaxy Pals, Add Fractions, Ordering Fractions, Multiply Fractions, and more.
Besides the general category of Math games, Math Playground games are organized into the following categories:
1. Math Arcade
Math Arcade section features a wide range of multiplayer games organized into the following sub-categories: addition and subtraction games, multiplication and division games, fraction and decimal games, Pre-algebra games, shapes and clock games, spelling games, grammar games, keyboarding games, and geography games. Kids select the category they want, browse the games it contains and click on the one they like to play.
2. Story Math
Story Math features math word problems. Using their math skills, students try to model and solve word problems. Each math problem comes with a short description containing the targeted skills and common core connections.
Some problems are also accompanied with short video introduction explaining instructions to follow. Students are required to use thinking blocks to model and solve math word problems. There are Thinking Blocks Addition, Thinking Blocks Multiplication, Thinking Blocks Fractions, Thinking Blocks Ratios and more.
3. Math Videos
Math playground offers a collection of educational videos explaining math concepts in fun and engaging ways. Each video is around five minutes long and is illustrated with awesome graphics, text fonts, characters, images, and sound.
Math videos are arranged into different categories including Numbers and Operations, Geometry and Measurement, Pre-algebra and Algebra. Browse through the collections and click on the video you are interested in to watch it. You can also share the video to your Google Classroom using the share button at the end of the video.
4. Logic Games
Logic games, as their name indicates, are games and puzzles that help kids and students develop logic and thinking skills including problem solving, cause and effect, sequential reasoning, analytical thinking, trial and error, and more.
Examples of featured logic games include Mazes and Keys, Drop the Number, Find the Pug, Monkey Bubbles, Find the Differences, Zero Squares, Code Panda, Drop It, Logic Steps, Cross the Bridge, Robot Islands, Lightybulb, Sorting Spheres, Fox Adventurer, Brain Workouts, Reverse the Discs, and many more.
How much does Math Playground cost?
Math Playground offers both free and premium plans. The free plan includes tons of ads and offers limited access to games. The premium plan offers way more features including the ability to create classes, assign games to students, access the full library of learning games, save favourite games, provide home access for students, remove ads, and more. There are two types of premium plans: a Classroom plan which costs $9.99/month and a Family plan which costs $5.99/month.
Final thoughts
Math Playground emerges as a multifaceted educational resource, offering an extensive array of math games, interactive activities, and educational videos for students from kindergarten through 6th grade. The platform neatly organizes these resources by grade level and subject, covering a diverse range of topics from fractions to geometry, and even extending into areas like grammar and geography.
While the free version of the site is ad-heavy, its premium version not only mitigates this but also empowers teachers to tailor the experience by creating classes and assigning specific games. However, it’s worth noting that Math Playground lacks performance tracking tools, positioning itself primarily as a practice tool rather than a comprehensive learning management system.
This platform can be an engaging addition to the classroom, providing a fun, interactive way for students to reinforce math concepts, develop critical thinking skills, and even engage in multiplayer games for a more collaborative learning experience. The inclusion of printable resources and a modeling tool further enhances its utility for teachers. Despite the cost of the premium plans, Math Playground’s diverse offerings make it a valuable tool for enriching the math learning experience.
