Support the core concepts of your mathematics lesson plan with technology like the best math apps for 1st grade. There are hundreds of games and apps that tout amusement and engaging, but how do you know which one is best for your students?
Your grade one lesson plan will work through the four critical segments. Students will develop their understanding of addition, subtraction, whole number relationships and place value, and linear measurement. Within these segments, they will work on strategies for addition and subtraction using numbers 1–20, measuring length in units, and composing and decomposing geometric shapes. A great math app can support these critical learning areas through engagement and interaction with the concepts in scenarios that are relatable to first graders. Math apps are also great resources to use in self-directed, group, or partner work.
Table of Contents
- Are Math Apps Good for Kids?
- 13 Best Math Apps for 1st Grade
- Check Out These Additional 1st Grade Resources
Are Math Apps Good for Kids?
Math apps can be great for kids and integrated easily into a lesson plan without the need for IT support. When you are on the hunt for an app, there are a few specifics you can check for to make sure they will meet your needs.
The best apps will support the development of critical areas of your mathematics lesson plan, offer adaptive learning strategies, and continually provide assessment and analysis. Cost is a factor—it has to be accessible to the whole class, regardless of socioeconomic factors.
They should also be age-appropriate and recommended by educators and schools. Finally, a math app should help support learning by promoting creative thinking and stimulating the reward cascade through positive reinforcement.
In partnership with Teach Simple, whose marketplace is full of educational materials created by actual teachers (plus 50% of all revenues go to them), I’ve gathered 13 fun and engaging math apps for 1st grade that will entertain your students while developing math skills!
13 Best Math Apps for 1st Grade
- Minecraft For Education: Math By Minecraft Education
If you are not familiar with Minecraft, it is essentially a base-ten game. Players build anything they want using building blocks in different environments. Since it came out in 2009, it has captured the attention of people of all ages worldwide.
Because of this popularity, the game easily lends itself to game-based learning modules. They even developed an education lab for teachers and schools with features like study hall controls specific to a learning environment. For example, with Classroom Mode, teachers can oversee the students on the world map and communicate with them in a single group. If a student moves from the group, you can bring their avatar back to the lesson.
Minecraft for education: math module contributes to your students’ critical math skills through interactive creative play, collaborative problem solving, and the age-appropriate use of technology. This product is available to teachers and schools, requires an office 365 account, and is available for android and iOS platforms.
- Moose Math By Duck Duck Moose
Moose Math is an easy app for kids that uses creative characters to keep students involved with the lessons of the game.
As the student conquers a level, the difficulty increases, and their progress is visible to parents and educators on the Report Card screen. This free game aligns with core competencies of first grade curriculum and is an easy-to-use app that reinforces core math concepts.
Kids learn the following common core math skills with Moose Math:
- Understand the relationship between numbers and quantities
- Solve word problems and algebraic thinking
- Practice number pattern recognition
- Count by 1’s, 2’s, 5’s and 10’s
- Master counting to 100
- Add and subtract by 1’s, 2’s, 5’s and 10’s
- Add and subtract up to 20
- Learn to add and subtract with numbers, dice and rekenrek racks
- Master geometry at Kindergarten and First Grade levels
- Learn to identify and recognize shapes
- Understand and compare lengths
- Model The Addition Sentence Game From SplashLearn
SplashLearn has several different math apps and games to cover all of the Grade 1 math concepts students are learning. Games on addition and subtraction strategies, place value, telling time, and more are available within the first grade category. While fun counting games utilize number lines and hundreds charts, grouping in tens uses bundles of colorful objects. Plus, SplashLearn covers math and reading concepts for multiple grades so kids can keep playing new games as they grow.
- Khan Academy Kids From Super Simple
Khan Academy Kids is a free learning resource for students of all ages. This app offers practice with a variety of foundational skills in math and other first grade areas of learning. The math section supports a first grade lesson plan that includes numbers, simple addition, and logic.
- Monster Math From Brighterly
This game incorporates all the core competencies of early mathematics into an engaging storyline. The games can be tailored to student needs and offer practice with over 40 math skills combined with offline math activities in the form of printables.
- Learning Through Play From Osmo
Osmo is an iPad app that includes manipulative kit items to inspire learning through digital and hands-on engagement. The product offers two main pay modules, one for home learning and one for schools. For math, there are several app options including Math Wizard Magical Workshop, Essential Math Bundle, Genius Numbers, and Genius Tangram.
- Marble Math From Artgig Studio
Marble Math offers kids a fun way to practice mental math. It uses marbles as rewards. Students can take control of their learning when wrong answers are given by trying again or choosing to be shown the correct answer before moving on. Create multiple accounts and tailor games to each player’s needs.
- Math Kids: Math Games For Kids From RV AppStudios
Creative and jolly characters engage with children in simple mathematics problems on this app. The puzzles and quizzes develop math skills from levels Pre-K to Grade 1. Math Kids is a free learning game that will help kids learn to identify numbers and introduce addition and subtraction puzzles. They’ll have a great time completing games and earning stickers, and you’ll have a great time watching them grow and learn.
- Todo Math From Todo
Todo Math offers students over 2,000 math activities in 8 languages. It is comprehensive, inclusive, and accessible with features like left-handed play and dyslexic font. It is free to try and does not require a credit card to sign up.
- DoodleMaths From Doodle Learning
Boost your students’ confidence in math with this easy-to-use personalizable math app. It has a diverse set of questions designed to support each learning style and rewards children for their effort rather than their ability.
DoodleMath offers platforms for parents and teachers, each with its features and benefits. They also have app versions for different countries and their curriculum, including the United States.
- Operation Math From Little 10 Robot
This is a fun spy-themed flashcard math game. Students complete missions around the world to earn spy gear by answering addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division questions. It is a straightforward digital supplement to an existing lesson plan.
- Kahoot Numbers And Big Numbers From Kahoot!
Kahoot Numbers and Big Numbers are perfect for first graders and can be purchased as a stand-alone app or as part of either a Kahoot+ Family or Premium Access Subscription. The games guide children through basic math in a different way. Also available are Kahoot Algebra and Geometry to cover all of the 1st grade math core concepts.
- Prodigy Math Game From Prodigy Education
Free, effective, and engaging educational math content all in one app—where students can earn rewards, go on quests, and play with friends. With new challenges around every corner, students must answer adaptive math questions to win battles and complete quests. Plus, this app is smart and allows students to learn at the right level with an adaptive algorithm that delivers effective practice.
What Should a 1st Grader Know in Math?
First grade core curriculum in math covers the following four key concepts:
- data and measurement
- geometry
- number and operations in base ten
- operations and algebraic thinking
In geometry, first graders will learn to reason with shapes and their attributes. Part of their studies in measurement and data is to learn to write and tell time. They will also learn to extend the counting sequence and understand place value.
Lessons expand on operations and algebraic thinking into addition and subtraction using numbers 1–20. Any one of these best math apps for 1st grade can help support learning and math skills development for the concepts listed above.
Check Out These Additional 1st Grade Resources
About the Author
My name is Hannah and I love learning so much that I made it a career. I enjoy getting to know people’s learning and teaching styles and helping them get the most out of their classroom. For the last nine years, I have been writing, developing, and editing content for a variety of topics and professions. When I am not involved in all things education, you can find me out in my garden, volunteering with my Rotary Club, and cooking delicious meals for my family.
