What Makes an Educational Math Game Actually Good?
There are thousands of "educational" games, and most of them are either fun with very little math or math with very little fun. A few minutes with a checklist saves hours of screen time that doesn't teach anything.
Plenty of games call themselves educational. Here's a quick way to tell which ones are worth your child's or your students' time.
1. The math is the game
If the math is a quiz between the fun parts, kids learn to rush through it. In a good game, solving the problem is how you win: it moves your piece, claims a square or casts the spell.
2. Players make real decisions
Choosing which problem to take on, where to move or how to use your cards makes kids think. Krypto is a good example: there are many ways to build a true equation, and players compete to find the one that uses the most cards.
3. Feedback teaches
"Wrong, try again" doesn't help. A good game shows why the answer was wrong and how to get it right. Every Fletcher Math game shows the worked steps after a miss.
4. It's matched to a grade and a standard
You should know what a game practices before you use it. Look for games that list their standards. You can browse Fletcher Math games by standard to find one for exactly what you're teaching.
5. It doesn't repeat
If the same ten problems come back every time, kids memorize answers. Fletcher Math math games generate new problems every game.
6. No wasted time
Long load screens, logins, ads and cutscenes all take time away from math. A good classroom game should be playable within a minute of opening it.
7. Kids want to play it again
The real test. If kids ask for another round, the game is doing its job.
Red flags
- Rewards that have nothing to do with the math, like unlocking outfits.
- Timers that punish slower thinkers in whole-class play.
- Required student accounts for something that doesn't need them.
- Ads in a game made for kids.
Try any Fletcher Math game free with its demo and run it through this checklist yourself. Browse all 150 games.
Common questions
How can I tell if a game is aligned to standards?
A good game tells you. Every Fletcher Math game lists the Common Core standards it practices on its page.
