Description: Math Panda is a free Android app for kids in K-12 education that enables them to practice their math skills on their parents’ Android smartphone or tablet at their own pace. Children and parents can choose the font, which numbers are included in questions and the type of questions asked like addition, multiplication, subtraction and even a little bit of algebra as well. Math Panda allows children to input their answers like a calculator or even with their own handwriting. It’s an app that’s versatile yet simple and easy to use when practicing multiplication or starting out with simple addition. Read on to find out how it fares.
How it Works: As with all other apps for Android, you’ll need to download Math Panda from the Play Store or the Amazon Apps Store for free. Once you’ve done that, you’ll be greeted with the main menu.
If you’d like to know how to use the menu, just hit the question mark to get a plain overview of what does what.
So, following the instructions in the handy help menu, we can select multiplication and the keyboard option. Then heading into the classroom, we’ll be given a series of questions based around the instructions given to the app.
What’s nice about this, is that’s a lot of choice and versatility here, but setting up a specific test for your young ones, like one focusing on multiplication is really easy. As well as simple or complex equations, there’s a sort of matching card game that you can play as well. Here, your little ones will need to pick up a sum and then match it to the answer.
This also proves to be a nice diversion, but the versatile input methods make this an app that can be used by kids of all ages (helped by the font choices available as well). So younger ones can also get a little practice at handwriting as well.
If your child is just getting started with maths or needs a little help, there’s a nice multiple choice option as well here.
Opinion: Math Panda is obviously meant for those much younger than myself, but my stepsister (who is 7) really appreciated being able to choose a different font to make things a little more fun, and then we gave her a different font as well as a mix of more difficult questions as a more serious test. It’s this versatility that makes Math Panda so appealing, add in the fact that it’s super-easy to make these changes all on one screen and Math Panda quickly becomes a first choice for math quizzes. It makes it easy for kids to get to grips with a calculator type of input as well as using their own handwriting which is something that younger kids will really appreciate. Overall, it’s clear that Math Panda has enough included to make it an appealing and more than competent app that parents and little ones will find genuinely helpful.
Ratings
- Speed (4/5) – I never found Math Panda to be slow or sluggish and it was nice and quick getting answers into the app.
- Features (5/5) – With so many options to choose from, including a range of input methods and different font choices as well a variety of material, Math Panda ticks all the right boxes.
- Theme (4/5) – The font choices are nice and everything is easy to use, but the main menu does feel a little cramped on smartphones.
- Overall (4/5) – Without a doubt, Math Panda is one of those apps for kids that doesn’t mess around too much and doesn’t make anything more difficult than it needs to be.
Pros
- While a little cramped on phones, the one-screen menu makes it plain and simple to change the question content and the overall feel of the app.
- Not just a simple addition or subtraction app, Math Panda included multiplication and even a little algebra.
- Being able to use their own handwriting will make it feel like more of an accomplishment to younger players and adds an extra level of practice.
- Great for kids of varying ages, Math Panda isn’t a one-trick pony and will offer a whole lot for parents and kids getting started and practicing more complicated sums.
Cons
- Extra use of the space added by tablets would be nice to see.
- While fun, it would be nice to see some more sound effects other than those included, a nice mix would help keep things fresh.
Conclusion: All-in-all, Math Panda is an app for kids and parents alike that will help families get through their times-tables and beyond. Families can use it to focus on subtraction or addition, as well as mix a number of disciplines together. There’s a fun tile-matching game and it’s definitely not doom and gloom, a colorful and engaging app, Math Panda will help kids approach practicing their sums and such with a smile on their face and help them build confidence from an early age.