Online Math Games Kids Will Actually Want to Play

Parents, let's help each other say yes to screen time by recommending & reviewing the online math games our own kids have enjoyed playing!

The best math games are those that kids actually want to play, so along with incorporating math concepts & skills to practice, it's also important for them to have fun storylines and gameplay to draw kids in.

Help other parents out by commenting below with a review of any math games your family has tried, and recommend any others we should add to the list! Plus, check out our list of free typing games for kids for even more fun and educational screen time options.


 
    Prodigy
    Price

    Free. Paid upgrades available.

    Ages

    Grade 1‑8

    Alexandra F.:  This is a fun role-playing game where kids get a wizard avatar and have to use math to cast spells against their enemies. My kids have loved playing it through most of their elementary school years and even into middle school, especially since the game adapts in difficulty based on the child's ability and grade. You can play the game on your web browser without having to download anything. It also has multiplayer options so kids can play online with friends, too.

    ABC Mouse
    Price

    $12.99/month

    Ages

    Age 2-8

    Lisa R:  This multi-faceted program teaches reading, math, science and more through stories, puzzles, and other games that advance with your child. Kids accumulate tickets each time they complete an activity, which they can redeem for clothes, toys, and pets for their avatar. My daughter loves visiting the virtual farm and zoo, where she can listen to facts about animals while watching them move around the screen and feeding the fish in the virtual classroom.

    Cool Math Games
    Price

    Free. Paid upgrades available.

    Ages

    All ages

    Alexandra F.:  Cool Math has been our go-to website for math enrichment since our kids were little, and they operate several math-focused websites that appeal to different audiences. We like Cool Math for the lessons and math practice, but Cool Math Games is a super popular offshoot that collects tons of fun math games, puzzles, strategy games, trivia quizzes and more. You can access the games for free from any browser, but they also offer paid subscriptions with special perks and an ad-free experience.

    PBS Kids Math Games

    Alexandra F.:  The online math games offered by PBS Kids are geared toward younger children, and use familiar characters from some of our favorite cartoons to teach and reinforce fundamental math skills like counting, sorting and basic arithmetic. These games are available for free from your web browser, as well as on the PBS Kids Games app, which also has great vocabulary and word games for kids.

    Fun Brain
    Price

    Free

    Ages

    Grade PreK-8

    Alexandra F.:  Fun Brain has a more modern feel than many other free math game websites, and kids can easily browse games based on grade level as well as customize the difficulty for each individual game.

    Multiplication.com

    Alexandra F.:  Developed by a long-time educator to help kids learn their multiplication tables, this website offers free (and paid) resources for parents, teachers and students to reinforce math facts. The free math games can be played without logging in or downloading anything, and typically have kids answer a few math problems in order to earn plays. Players can select from a variety of addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and strategy games, including several multi-player games for playing with friends. Each game also indicates where it fits within the Common Core State Standards.

    Math Playground

    Alexandra F.:  This is a great website that offers tons of free math games for kids you can access from a web browser, without having to download an app. Originally developed by a teacher for her own students to practice math facts, the site has continued to grow over the years to offer a huge variety of math, logic and problem-solving games. I also like that it is kidSAFE COPPA certified, and uses a COPPA-certified children's ad network.

Primary photo:   Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Upparent collects community-submitted recommendations and reviews, and any ideas that are shared reflect the opinions of individual contributors.