Review of Math Rider

For the past couple of months, my children have had the opportunity to use the program Math Rider, which I received free in exchange for our review.  Given that teaching math facts is not my strong suit (and for one of my four children, learning them was proving nearly impossible), I can say with all the earnestness of a mother who desperately needed a new approach that Math Rider works!

Math Rider uses a fairy-tale scenario to walk children systematically through the memorization of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts.  Children are presented with a short story which necessitates the completion of a quest for resolution.  The quest is advanced, and then completed, as students ride their horses through the Mathlands jumping fences comprised of math facts.  If they answer the fact correctly, the horse clears the fence.  If not, the horse stops and students both see and hear the math fact.  That math fact will then show up within the next two facts to provide reinforcement.  Kids can check their progress on a quest map at any time in order to see their degree of mastery.

One of the best features of Math Rider is the ability to choose between easy, medium, and hard facts.  In this way, children can learn at a relaxed pace, ensuring successful assimilation of the facts.  Because learning the facts is presented in the context of a story, and because kids get instant feedback on their answers (unlike, for existence, a worksheet of math facts), Math Rider really works.

The question any parent on the verge of paying for yet another school aid wants answered is, of course, "Will my kids like it"? All I can say is that all four of mine (9,7,6, and 6) love it.  It is my twins, those who needed the program the most, who actually fight over who gets to be first with Math Rider every day.  That is the ultimate sign of success!

Math Rider is available as an instant download for $49.95, but it is on sale as of this writing for $37.  Considering that you can register multiple children (I can vouch for at least four), the cost is negligible.  It works.

If you have any questions about Math Rider, send it along on their contact page.  You know that I loved Math Rider; find out what other Crew members thought on the Crew Blog.