Available in the App Store

[appimg 528617628]

Marble Math Junior is a fantastic app on so many levels that it makes it difficult for me to decide where to start! This educational game for 5-8 year-olds is not just about guiding a marble through a maze while avoiding obstacles and picking up bonus items the user must also pick up the items needed to answer a given math problem.

An App with a lot of Options

Not only can you customize how to move the marble through the maze, drag or roll it, but you can choose whether or not obstacles and bonuses appear in the maze, music and sounds on or off, which learning objectives should be included in the game and so on.

The user can drag the marble through the maze or roll it by tilting the device. Rolling the marble makes the app much more challenging. Earn 15 additional unique marbles by accruing points. Marbles ranged from various sports balls, a beach ball, or those that reminded me of planets.

Three learning levels are available. Within each level parents or teachers can customize the objectives to be included in the game; objectives such as telling time, addition, subtraction, equivalencies and sequences (using numbers, dice or tallies), shapes, money (coins and bills/notes), fractions, and multiplication. You could choose to include all objectives for the level, any combination of them, or just one. An example for Level 1 might include the addition of numbers 1 through 10 and shape recognition; for Level 3, I may want to include identifying fractions (/2, /3, /4), comparing clock faces of 15 minute increments, and multiples of 2, 3, 5, 10.

Design Features

Added during a recent update, Marble Math Junior now allows multiple user accounts, the ability to create a unique avatar for each user, and basic reporting functionality for parents or teachers. All of these features are local to the app; you are not required to connect to the internet to create the account or to view the reporting information. Kids will have a blast creating their avatar.

Marble Math Junior is a universal app that performs similarly on either device. My adult-sized fingers were able to easily move the marble around the maze on the smaller screen of an iPod.

The app is easy to use for adults or kids. Both, customizing or playing the app are intuitive. An in-app information section is where you will find information regarding the objects in the game, instructions on playing or customizing the game, and much more.

There are MANY things I like about Marble Math Junior, but three features I especially like in an app for this age group are the narration of the math problem, the Show Me button and the area on the screen that shows the objects collected during the maze. The math problem can be narrated for those not able to read it. Simply touch the text of the problem at the top of the screen to hear it read in an easy to understand, friendly voice. The Show Me button is available if the problem is not answered correctly and the child wants to see the correct answer. The area on the screen that shows the objects collected thus far is helpful in the mazes that require multiple objects to solve the math problem.

The design elements used in the app are wonderful! The rich colors, fun music and object appropriate sounds all work well together to create a fun, educational environment. Backgrounds are subtle and change from level to level. We had so much fun with obstacles such as banana peels that make you slip, rubber ducks and boxing gloves that bounce you in an opposite direction, goo, transporters, and, of course, I cannot forget about drains that sound like toilets flushing (kids love this sound for some reason).

This app does not contain in-app purchases, ads or social media links. Most of the external links are found on the parents menu and prompt the user before exiting the app. The More Apps button on the main screen also prompts the user before exiting the app.

Bottom line

Marble Math Junior is highly customizable, making it perfect for classrooms or at home; either way it is guaranteed educational fun at a great price.
Marble Math Junior is a fun, engaging way to practice basic math concepts that your kids are learning in the classroom.

The object of the game is to solve a variety of math problems by collecting numbers as you roll or drag your marble through a series of mazes. Earn new marbles and collect bonuses while reinforcing key concepts in pursuit of a high score. But watch out math whizzes! You’ll need to be focused and nimble to avoid the obstacles in your path.

Wrong answer? No problem! Marble Math Junior gives you the option to Replay the question or Show the correct answer in a game simulation, before moving on to the next problem.

Multiple users on the same device? Add as many custom profiles as you like. Individual game settings, including problem types by level, and scores are saved in each user profile. And the profile avatar creator is so much fun, it’s like its own game.

Along with high scores and three separate difficulty levels to suit different ages and abilities, there are 16 unique marble styles to choose from. Parents and teachers can customize gameplay to concentrate on specific math concepts by selecting problem types for each level or just let the game roll with random problem generation for unlimited practice and play!

Marble Math Junior concepts include:

• shape recognition/matching

• sequencing number values and ordinals

• addition, subtraction and multiplication to 100

• identifying fractions

• adding US coins and notes

• telling time

• completing addition equations

Additionally, early learners who may not be reading yet can tap on a problem to hear it spoken.

Regular price: $1.99