Fun Online Math Games - Reinforce Core Standards for Kindergartners

As a mom and certified teacher, I see both sides of education. As I struggle to get my kids to do their homework, saying to myself "Does every parent go through this?" I wonder whether the worksheets sent home really help my children learn. As a teacher, I understand the importance of practice, reinforcement and the connection of school and home. It's a basic understanding whether you are a trained teacher or a parent that for meaningful learning to take place tasks need to be connected to the real world, but most of all they need to be FUN.

As a parent of a kindergartener we are working on counting and basic math concepts. Most pre-schoolers can count by rote to ten and then to twenty with help. My daughter is great at this, but I know she doesn't quite understand math conceptually yet, for example she can't picture the difference between 5 and 15 pennies. Furthermore, writing the numbers by hand with pencil and paper is a task all in itself. Fine motor skills are still being developed, and often 5 and 2 are written backwards. Per the Core Standards for Mathematics kindergarteners "should see addition and subtraction equations, and student writing of equations in kindergarten is encouraged, but it is not required" (pg. 9). Phew, good thing, because I know this would become another mother-daughter battle!

So, I ask myself, how can I encourage my daughter, or as a teacher my students, to see these addition and subtraction equations while making it fun, connecting it to the real world, building confidence, and most of all, be easy to implement without triggering the homework battle syndrome?

The answer...computers, specifically online math games. Kindergarteners are capable of maneuvering on simple websites. It's fun, it's real world because they get to use Mommy or Daddy's computer, just like Mommy or Daddy, and they do not have to struggle with handwriting. As a parent, it frees up some time to do a few chores. Teachers with smart boards in the classroom can bookmark certain pages and use online math games during small group or whole group activity periods in a variety of ways.

As an educator we can feel good that this is just one of many brain based learning strategies that improves the processing of information from short to long term memory. Most of all as a parent, we will see our kids having fun learning, while secretly smiling knowing that they are increasing their confidence and abilities with math, counting and equations. However, most importantly, we have avoided at least one less homework battle.