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Sheppardsoftware.com - Fun Online Math Games for Grade School Kids Online math games, like the ones that you'll find for free at Sheppard Software, provide a valuable opportunity for children to learn a great deal while they're having fun. The games at Sheppard Software are well written, interactive and very fun to play.

It can be very difficult for parents to find productive and worthwhile activities for children on the Internet; however fun online math games do offer a wonderful alternative.

This free section of Sheppard Software was written for children. Mostly all of the material you'll find at the site is completely free for kids to use. These fun online math games cover all of the math fundamentals, including early math, basic and mixed operations, fractions, pre-algebra, dollars & cents and place value. While teachers often use worksheets to solidify the math concepts learned in the classroom, these sort of games actually have the same educational impact on the child, and the format of the examples as an exciting game keeps the child engaged, interested and coming back for more.

Sheppard Software Main Page


From the main page parents or children will find a simple and easy to navigate menu featuring the different levels of math games and the various math concepts that are available. Children from pre-k up to 8th grade will find fun online math games that teach important math skills that are appropriate for their age level.


Bugabaloo Addition for Early Math Students


Sheppard Software offers a couple of cute games for the youngest math students. In this game, called Bugabaloo Addition, children are shown a number of "bug shoes" on the left and the right. The game asks the child to add the two groups of shoes together, and then pick the bug with the correct number printed on it. This game teaches addition through a graphical display that lets the child see and count the shoes. With the numbers right underneath, children easily make the association between the visual cues and the act of addition.

Fun Popup Math Games


For slightly older kids, there are a number of very popular arcade-style "popup" math games. In these games, the child is presented with a math problem and must find the creature that's holding the correct answer and smack it on the head with the hammer. The comical expression the creature makes and the sound effects make this game so fun that children will forget that they're learning math!

Fun Timed Games


As you progress through the age groups and the math difficulty level, you'll discover that the "fun factor" for these games does not disappear. As the age level increases, more of the games incorporate a "timer" feature, where children must answer a set of questions or math puzzles within a set time frame. For example, in the game above, the student must match up equal fraction pairs before the timer runs out.

Learning How to Count Coins


In the "Dollars & Cents" section, there are a couple of fun games that can teach young children all about money. For example, "Coin Madness" starts a timer, and then requires the child to choose the combination of coins that total the answer of the math question at the bottom of the screen. This is a very fun way to help students learn how to count money by encouraging them with an arcade style game.


Learning Pre-Algebra


For many students, pre-Algebra concepts can seem abstract and difficult to grasp. This is why the pre-Algebra section of the Sheppard Software site is so valuable. This game asks students to "solve for X" by creating a formula with playing cards which represent numbers. The activity introduces the concept of a "formula" by having the student lay out the cards in a way that equates to the required answer. For example, create an equation equal to "1," the student must use a 7, and then subtract a Queen (12) divided by 2.

Shooting Math Games


While one may not consider a "shooting game" as a very effective way to teach children about math, Sheppard Software actually created an excellent version of a shooting game that integrates math into an arcade style shooting game that children will love. The rules are simple - all a child has to do is solve the math problems and then shoot the correct fruit target that displays the right answer. It's not only a fun way to learn math, but it's also very addictive. Children will actually be asking for permission to practice their math!

Other Areas of Sheppard Software


While the math area of this website is pretty big, there are also a number of other very useful areas of the website that are just as educational, including: USA, world, animals, vocabulary, health, science, math, history and the brain. Each of these areas open up to entire individual sections of the Sheppard Software website and offer their own collections of educational games and content.

The website is so much fun that most children will just forget that they're actually learning basic and important math skills. The games are interesting enough to hold the student's interest, and they are educational enough to teach them the basic fundamentals of math, and to help them excel in school. In this sort of format, video games can be used by teachers and parents to significantly improve a child's math skills.

Written March 30, 2010 by Ryan Dube