Math Balance Description: Mental math is fun with Math Balance – kids learn about equality/comparison, gain flexibility with numbers, solve problems such as missing addend and subtrahend, and practice foundational math facts skills that are essential for understanding algebra.

Math balance is an excellent educational game for learning math for kids. This app adheres to Common Core Standards for math and was designed by parents and teachers. This game is suitable for first grade, second grade, third grade and fourth grade for learning math addition, subtraction and multiplication skills.

This mental math game with 30 levels will help your child get necessary fluidity with numbers. Your child will learn math skills like addition can happen in any order for the same result, or that sum of different numbers can add up to be the same number. Math Balance aims to mix fun with learning, therefore, if you use it in school we recommend to let the child play freely through the different levels for mental math practice.
They will also end up having to use different number strategies, such as bridging and compensation which can significantly speed up their mental math computations.

These are the skills covered by Math Balance –
– Developing meaning of equal sign, using, greater than and less than sign
– Commutative property of addition and subtraction, later, using it and expanded form as a strategy to add.
– Missing Addend strategies: x+b=c, where x is to be found, situations where difference is unknown, where there is a bigger unknown and where there is a smaller unknown -one step problems
– Showing that addition and subtraction are inverse
– Use only doubles, Use only even/odd numbers to get to a total
– 1 step word problems -Change unknown, Result unknown, start unknown
– add a string of two-digit numbers (up to four numbers) by applying place value strategies and properties of operations.
– Using concrete models to show addition and subtraction learning for 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade and 5th grade elementary school kids.
– Multiplication as repeated addition
For those who follow the Core curriculum, this maps to the following common core standards – 2.OA.B.2, 2.NBT.4, 2.OA.2, 1.OA.6, 2.OA.C.3, 2.OA.1, 2.NBT.6, 2.NBT.7, 2.NBT.8, 3.NBT.2.

Grade wise skills covered in Math Balance:

1st grade and 2nd grade:
Children ages 6 and 7 (first grade and second grade of elementary school) practice math activities: Developing the meaning and understanding of ‘equal to’, ‘greater than and less than’ comparing numbers, simple math addition and subtraction facts, understand the properties of addition such as commutative property, additions without regrouping, showing that addition and subtraction are inverse, one step word problems with change unknown, result unknown, practice mental math with missing addend addition and subtraction math strategies, place value strategies to add a string of numbers for Grade 1 and Grade 2.

3rd grade and 4th grade:
From age 8 to 9 (third grade and fourth grade of elementary school) the math game consists of: mental arithmetic sums of two-digit numbers, mental math addition and subtraction of 10 to or from a given number, fluently add or subtract within 1000 using different mental math strategies, multiplication as repeated addition for Grade 3 and Grade 4.

Reasons to Play:

The best part is children will engage in learning math without realizing, due to the great adventure they are experiencing with Toby and bridges.
To do this they must overcome countless obstacles to reach Toby home. They need to balance the bridge while doing fun math facts (addition, subtraction, multiplication).
Aside from being engaging math game, Math Balance has features like
1) Full alignment with key curriculum (e.g., common core, Ontario, TEKS, MAFS)
2) Embedded in-game formative and diagnostic assessments.