Think math practice has to amount to a bunch of kill-and-drill exercises? Think again! You can add some fun through online math games and get your kids loving their homeschool math practice!
*I received free access to Splash Math for review purposes and have been paid for my time writing this post. As always, I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions are my own. See disclosure for more details.*
“Suck it up. There’s only one more page of problems.”
“I know there are a lot of problems to do, but you’ll never learn if you don’t practice.”
“Focus. You’re nearly halfway done.”
I don’t know about you, but none of those phrases get me excited about doing math. In fact, these set the stage for a downright dreadful homeschool math scenario. You know, the kind of scenario that makes me shake my head and shout, “it doesn’t have to be that way!”
While we all know practice makes perfect, the freedom that comes with homeschooling means math practice doesn’t have to be miserable.
In fact, we can let go of the kill-and-drill approach to math altogether and even have some fun while we learn. But how do we say goodbye to kill and drill math? I’m so glad you asked.
Saying Goodbye to the Homeschool Math Kill & Drill
Letting go of miserable math practice is a lot easier than it might seem. The key thing to remember is that homeschooling allows you to be in control. And since you can control what happens in those math lessons, take advantage of it by embracing these truths:
1. The math curriculum isn’t your boss.
Seriously. You don’t work for the math curriculum. It works for you. Therefore, you get to decide when to stop each lesson. If your child masters a math skill earlier than expected, move on.
On a similar note, you don’t have to do page after page in a workbook just because the pages are there. The same is true for chapters. The world won’t end if you opt to skip a lesson for a while and come back to it at another time.
2. Math is a part of life.
One of the best ways to let go of the kill-and-drill mentality is to help your kids see where math shows up in daily life. By focusing on the practical application, our kids have opportunities to get hands-on with math and understand how math skills will serve them in their day-to-day lives.
We can do this by showing our kids how we use math in the kitchen, while we work, and going about other various tasks. Through all of these, we show them math is more than just numbers on a page.
3. Math practice can be lots of fun!
I don’t know about you, but I’ve spent the majority of my life thinking math had to be a chore. Thank goodness for homeschooling though. In my own efforts to inspire my kids to love learning, I’ve started to understand that even math can be lots of fun.
That’s why I’m so happy to turn to online games like Splash Math for Homeschoolers for math practice. These games help my kiddo look forward to math instead of growing up to view math as I did in prior years.
Online Math Games for Homeschoolers
You probably figured out that my kiddos aren’t big on math practice that comes in the form of worksheets and flash cards. It’s also probably no surprise that I’m always looking for new ways to build on the math skills they’re learning while avoiding the overwhelm that comes with the practice makes perfect mentality.
That’s why I was so excited to find Splash Math, an online math curriculum for kindergarten through fifth grade.
As it turns out, their online math games are the perfect match for my second grader. You see, while she’s really math-minded, she also gets bored and frustrated when she’s working toward skill mastery.
With Splash Math, there is no frustration or boredom. Instead of kill and drill, she practices by playing games, earning coins, and redeeming those coins for fun rewards. It’s the perfect motivation!
What We’re Loving About Splash Math’s Online Math Games
Now that you know why we’re happy to turn to online math games for our practice time, here are some specific things I’ve discovered about Splash Math that I think you’ll find helpful.
1. The Parent Dashboard
I’m going to admit something a little embarrassing here, but I don’t generally dig into all the information provided through online programs. Splash Math is different though. I’m super excited about all the information available to me through the Parent Dashboard.
Through the Parent Dashboard, I can easily keep up with the following:
- Overall time spent on Splash Math and time counted toward our weekly practice goal
- Problems answered and the number of problems answered correctly
- Skills mastered, time spent on each skill, and date of mastery
- Upcoming math skills and previews for the corresponding games
- Rewards earned and how my kiddo redeemed them
The best part is there’s even a Parent Connect app available that makes it easy to keep up with all of these things while I’m away from my laptop!
2. Customization for goals
I was prompted to enter weekly practice goals for my daughter when I created our Splash Math account. This completely changed my perspective on these math games. In fact, I had no idea how much I would use this feature at the time, but it’s helped me see how these games fit into our overall homeschool plans.
I used to view online math games as something my kiddo will use if she wants a little screentime. Not anymore.
Now that I created those goals in the Parent Dashboard, I know exactly how Splash Math fits into our current homeschool plans. In turn, I can now designate this practice time for familiar concepts without overwhelming her with extra work.
3. So thorough!
My daughter loves Splash Math because of the games, but in reality it’s so much more: Splash Math for Homeschoolers is a comprehensive online math curriculum.
As you can see in the image below, Splash Math covers any math topic you can think of for grades K-5. So all of those bothersome math gaps? You can easily fill them with Splash Math!
4. PC & Apple compatible
One of my favorite things about Splash Math is that we’re not limited to an app or website. My kiddo can hop on a computer or the iPad app and work toward her weekly practice goal. In other words, there’s no waiting until a specific device is free for her to use. :)
5. Reward incentives
My kiddo loved her Splash Math time from the very beginning, but it went to another level when she discovered what to do with the coins she earned for her correct answers.
As it turns out, she can use those coins to purchase fish, food, and other goodies for her Splash Math aquarium. Better yet, she can also use the coins to add animals to her Splash Math jungle.
It’s such a fun incentive and it keeps her coming back for more! :)
Get a Free Trial for Splash Math!
Ready to say goodbye to the kill-and-drill approach to math practice? Click the button below to visit Splash Math and get your free trial.
What about you? Have you left those worksheets behind and found a better way to practice math with your kids? Share your experiences with us in the comments below!