Free math tools your kid can get their hands on
Looking for a math break that works with any book?
Another worksheet is not always the answer, and buying another program costs money.
These free browser tools give your kid something to drag, slide and build.
Polypad, by Amplify
What it is: a free browser math tool with fraction bars and other virtual manipulatives. Amplify says it "is completely free, requires no login or installation, runs on all devices and browsers, and works with any curriculum."
Grade: not stated by the maker.
What your kid does: stacks a one-half bar over a row of fourths and a row of sixths. The edges line up, so 1/2 = 2/4 = 3/6 is right there on the screen.
Price: free.
Why it's worth it: fractions get seen instead of explained a third time. Open Polypad (opens in a new tab)
Number Rack, by The Math Learning Center
What it is: a free virtual bead rack from The Math Learning Center, a nonprofit. The maker calls it "ideal for elementary classrooms." It runs in a browser, and there is an iOS version too.
Grade: elementary, per the maker.
What your kid does: slides beads to show and work with numbers, thinking in groups of 5s and 10s. For example, build 8 + 7 on two rows of ten.
Price: free.
Why it's worth it: addition facts show up as groups of five and ten, which is easier to picture than a column of numbers. Open Number Rack (opens in a new tab)
Make a Ten, by PhET
What it is: an interactive math simulation from PhET, which "creates free interactive math and science simulations." It runs in a browser, iPads and tablets included.
What your kid does: breaks apart and combines numbers to add by making tens, with a focus on place value. One screen adds any two numbers; a game screen puts the make-a-ten strategy to work.
Grade: elementary school, per PhET.
Price: free.
Why it's worth it: a quick way to practice making ten in a spare ten minutes. Open Make a Ten (opens in a new tab)
Area Builder, by PhET
What it is: an interactive area simulation from PhET. It runs in a browser, iPads and tablets included.
What your kid does: builds shapes out of colorful blocks and explores how perimeter and area relate. A game screen asks them to build shapes or find the area of some funky figures.
Grade: elementary and middle school, per PhET.
Price: free.
Why it's worth it: area turns into something your kid builds instead of a formula on a page. Open Area Builder (opens in a new tab)
Brain Rush
What it is: a free browser game for kids with a mental arithmetic mode covering adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing. No sign-up, per the maker. The site is in Chinese first, so the menus take some poking around.
Grade: not stated by the maker.
What your kid does: a problem shows at the top and answers fall from the sky. Your kid moves a character left and right to catch the right answer and dodge the wrong ones. There is also a 60-second timer mode.
Price: free.
Why it's worth it: math facts plus some dodging, which beats flashcards for some kids. Open Brain Rush (opens in a new tab)
Geoboard, by The Math Learning Center
What it is: a free virtual geoboard from The Math Learning Center. It runs in a browser, as an installable web app, or as an iPad app.
Grade: elementary and middle grades, per the maker.
What your kid does: stretches virtual bands around pegs to make line segments and shapes, then explores perimeter, area, angles and fractions. Boards come as a 25-peg square, a 150-peg rectangle or a 13-peg circle.
Price: free.
Why it's worth it: shapes get built and counted instead of only drawn. Open Geoboard (opens in a new tab)
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