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Math Apps and Games for Preschool and Kindergarten

Learning what numbers and shapes symbolize and how they relate to each other is foundational to mathematics. It's also a big, early hurdle for young kids. There are many different strategies that kids can practice to develop early skills, including subitizing, skip counting, and spatial reasoning. These fun, inventive picks will activate kids' minds while communicating essential concepts from number sense to counting, quantities, measurement, and geometry.

Elmo Loves 123s

Sesame Street sets the standard for teaching numbers

Bottom Line: Elmo Loves 123s takes kids on a learning romp from writing numbers to addition and subtraction.

Grades: Pre-K–K
Price:
Paid

Gracie & Friends Birthday Cafe

Numbers-and-quantity game has precise focus and superb scaffolding

Bottom Line: Super approach to teaching a very specific topic: Help kids develop an easy familiarity with quantities under five.

Grades: Pre-K–K
Price:
Free

Gracie & Friends Lemonade Stand

Interactive games thoroughly address small, focused learning goal

Bottom Line: Games do a nice job of providing practice with a very specific early math principle; they work even better as part of a whole teaching unit.

Grades: Pre-K–K
Price:
Free

Native Numbers

Learning makes sense with fun, engaging number games

Bottom Line: The app is on the pricey side, but it's a good investment and delivers high-quality games that promote a deep understanding of early math concepts.

Grades: Pre-K–K
Price:
Free

Peg + Cat: The Tree Problem

Fun games require spatial reasoning to help Cat jump out of a tree

Bottom Line: Get kids problem-solving and thinking about basic spatial reasoning in a fun, welcoming setting.

Grades: Pre-K–K
Price:
Paid

TallyTots

Engaging games encourage playful interaction with numbers, counting

Bottom Line: Well-designed games provide a fun and effective way to get kids interacting with and understanding numbers.

Grades: Pre-K–K
Price:
Paid

Team Umizoomi Math: Zoom into Numbers HD

Cute mini-games introduce math to young learners

Bottom Line: Preschoolers learn math foundations in a tactile way while playing cute games and earning rewards.

Grades: Pre-K–K
Price:
Paid

Gracie & Friends Map Adventures

Short, vocab-rich games offer practice with basic spatial thinking

Bottom Line: Games offer a quick, accessible way for young kids to start to build fluency with spatial reasoning vocabulary and map reading.

Grades: Pre-K–1
Price:
Free

Intro to Math, by Montessorium

Fascinating hands-on activities unlock key beginning number concepts

Bottom Line: Virtual Montessori-style tools help kids understand foundational number concepts.

Grades: Pre-K–1
Price:
Paid

Kahoot! Numbers by Dragonbox

Explore the concept of numbers through puzzles and fun gameplay

Bottom Line: Though there are a few kinks, kids experience fun gameplay while internalizing fundamental number concepts.

Grades: Pre-K–1
Price:
Free to try

Math Shelf: Early Math Mastery

Adaptive math app reinforces foundational skills

Bottom Line: While it's not as polished as other apps, Math Shelf has a steady and thorough approach to exploring foundational math skills.

Grades: Pre-K–1
Price:
Free to try

Milo's Money

Cute book and game combo puts kids on a path to financial well-being

Bottom Line: This is a delightful, kid-friendly intro to financial health with a great mixture of activities.

Grades: Pre-K–1
Price:
Free

Montessori 1st Operations

Montessori tools and fun rewards help kids learn math concepts

Bottom Line: Montessori 1st Operations helps kids learn math concepts by blending Montessori principles with points, rewards, and fun monsters.

Grades: Pre-K–1
Price:
Paid

Moose Math by Duck Duck Moose

Fun story-based, CCSS-aligned math is a great classroom addition

Bottom Line: An empowering tool for practicing early math skills through mini-games.

Grades: Pre-K–1
Price:
Free

Park Math

Brilliant math activities are as fun as a trip to the park

Bottom Line: Park Math is a remarkable early math practice activity app that's fun and effective.

Grades: Pre-K–1
Price:
Free

MathBRIX

Building blocks form solid math concepts one brick at a time

Bottom Line: Strong tool for independent use without forfeiting conceptual understanding.

Grades: Pre-K–2
Price:
Free to try, Paid

PBS KIDS Lab

Explore outstanding new math and language additions to PBS KIDS family

Bottom Line: With PBS-pedigree content that's up to its usual standards of excellence, this is a great, fun resource that ensures high learning potential.

Grades: Pre-K–2
Price:
Free

Todo Math

One arithmetic app fulfills the needs of many learners

Bottom Line: A variety of strategies and accommodations make this app classroom-ready for a variety of levels and abilities.

Grades: Pre-K–2
Price:
Free to try

RelationShapes

Great visual-spatial practice balanced with imaginative free play

Bottom Line: Includes both play and skill-building that develop important spatial and fine-motor skills.

Grades: Pre-K–3
Price:
Free

Jump Numbers

Save the Snortles! Build multiplication skills in silly, fun math game

Bottom Line: Absorbing gameplay helps students hone their addition and skip-counting skills.

Grades: Pre-K–4
Price:
Paid

Pattern Shapes, by the Math Learning Center

Virtual pattern blocks with some extra useful teaching tools

Bottom Line: If you don't already have a bucket of pattern blocks, or you want a more portable option, this free version may be a great fit for your classroom.

Grades: Pre-K–4
Price:
Free

PBS Kids

One-stop shop for a wealth of fantastic PBS Kids educational content

Bottom Line: Robust collection of learning resources covers an impressive array of topics.

Grades: Pre-K–4
Price:
Free

Number Pieces, by The Math Learning Center

Finicky controls limit cool but basic virtual base-ten blocks

Bottom Line: Every teacher should have a set of base-ten blocks, and this is a workable but limited substitute when compared to the real deal.

Grades: Pre-K–5
Price:
Free

DoodleMaths

Short, daily practice and positive language make success accessible

Bottom Line: A good, adaptive program that can be used to support a growth mindset along with strong math skills.

Grades: Pre-K–8
Price:
Free to try, Paid

Mathseeds

Entertaining activities help keep early math exciting

Bottom Line: Fun collection of lessons and games drives home math concepts.

Grades: K–2
Price:
Free to try, Paid

Bugs and Numbers

Critter app that covers wide array of fundamentals has terrific value

Bottom Line: From matching and measurements to telling time and fractions, Bugs and Numbers covers more math skills than most apps.

Grades: K–3
Price:
Paid

Cyberchase Shape Quest!

AR adds unique twist to geometry, spatial reasoning games

Bottom Line: Once kids get a hang of things, this app's puzzles will get them thinking creatively about shapes and spatial reasoning.

Grades: K–3
Price:
Free

Dexteria Dots - Get in Touch with Math

Ingenious, intuitive way for kids to learn and practice the basics

Bottom Line: Fun, innovative math tool engages and helps a variety of learners practice and build fluency.

Grades: K–3
Price:
Paid

Happy Numbers

Carefully scaffolded lessons build a strong math foundation

Bottom Line: Depth of concepts covered and expertly paced lessons are sure to develop mathematical thinkers.

Grades: K–5
Price:
Free to try, Paid

SplashLearn

A colorful, fun way for students to build math skills mastery

Bottom Line: These engaging math games for younger kids are great for math skills practice, but you'll need a paid account to access a substantial amount of the content.

Grades: K–5
Price:
Free

Boddle

Math practice sets mixed with games build skills, need deeper learning

Bottom Line: This program incentivizes math practice -- and offers useful supports -- but could use more opportunities for deep, conceptual learning.

Grades: K–6
Price:
Free to try

Teachley EDU

Fun math gameplay with solid skill-building and helpful teacher tools

Bottom Line: Teachley lets teachers monitor progress and easily meet students' needs, though it's probably most appealing to kids in lower elementary.

Grades: K–6
Price:
Free to try, Paid

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