Summertime is a time with lots of down time. There are many great educational apps that can be used to sharpen and learn new math skills throughout the summer. I plan on having my 6 year old daughter “play” on the ipad for at least 15 minutes a day on some of the following apps. Here is a list of some of my favorite math apps, what I like about them, and who could benefit from using them.

Dreambox –I love Dreambox because of all the different manipulatives it has students use (math rack, 100 chart, base ten blocks, area model, number lines,..) and because of its adaptive technology that moves you through the program based up the strategies you use and fluency with those strategies.
Cost- downloading the app is free but you either needs a school subscription (Montecito Union has a school subscription) or you can sign up as an individual for $12.99 a month or $19.99 for a family with up to 4 kids.
Grades- this app is great for kids entering kindergarten through 6th grade. They have just added a middle school component but I have yet to try it out. I am sure the math is great but don’t know if middle school kids will be as engaged as the younger ones.

Motion Math Pizza-This recommendation came from Dan Meyer’s blog post. In this game students run their own pizza business. They start with $50 and must buy ingredients, design pizzas, determine pricing, and sell pizzas. The customers’ interest and your profits are determined by the price points and menu options.
Cost – $3.99
Grades- I like this game for kids going into 3rd or up.

Numbers Logic Puzzle– This is one of my favorite apps. It is like playing Candy Crush but rather than matching up colors you match up number tiles that add up to ten. You can put together a 4 tile and a 6 tile, a 4 tile with a 1 and a 5 tile, or any number of tiles or combinations to make ten. Making ten is one of the most important number sense skills for any student.
Cost – Free
Grades- I like this game for kids going into 2nd or up.

Make 10 Plus– This app has a series of number tiles at the bottom of the screen that slowly rise throughout the game. Once the tiles reach the top of your screen the game is over. At the top of the screen is a number between 1-9. Students pick a number tile from the bottom of the screen that when added to the number at the top makes 10. This game promotes building fluency with making ten.
Cost – Free
Grades- I like this game for kids going into 1st or up.

Math Concentration– This is just like basic memory but with matching whole numbers, shapes, fractions, or multiplication facts to equivalent representations.
Cost – Free
Grades- I like this game for kids going into Kindergarten through 3rd grade.

Pick-a-Path– Help Okta reach the target by choosing a path from the top of the maze to the bottom. Seven levels with seven puzzles will test your skills with powers of ten, negative numbers, fractions, decimals, and more.
Cost – Free
Grades- I like this game for kids going into 4th grade and up.

Sudoku School– This sudoku app allows kids to do a 2×2 or a 6×6 sudoku game to gradually work their way up to a more challenging game.
Cost – Free
Grades- I like this game for kids going into 1st grade and up.

See other recommendations by grade level under the technology menu.