Kidz Knockout – Operations

A Fun Way of Learning Addition and Multiplication!

  • Editor Rating

  • Rated 4 stars
  • Recommended
$1.99

  • Kidz Knockout - Operations
  • Reviewed by:
  • Published on:
  • Last modified: May 15, 2020

Review Summary:

Kidz Knockout – Operations is a fun little app that helps children gain fluency with addition and multiplication as well as develop mental math skills. Help the monster shoot bubbles that add up or multiply to the number shown on his body to win the game!

Reader Rating0 Votes
4.2

Kidz Knockout – Operations Review

App Info

Price: $1.99

Overview

Kidz Knockout – Operations is a fun and easy way to get kids practicing their addition and multiplication. The game floats balls with numbers across the screen. The monster shows a total and then must shoot the numbered balls so that the total (for addition) or the product (for multiplication) matches the total shown on the monster. There are typically multiple possible routes to the correct answer (such as 7 + 8 = 15 and 4 + 9 + 2 = 15, or 6 x 4 = 24 as well as 3 x 4 x 2 = 24). A running tab is shown at the bottom of the screen to help players keep track of where they stand.

Features include:

  • Choose addition or multiplication
  • Enjoy three levels ranging from easy to hard 
  • Instant feedback on success 
  • Clear directions 
  • Game keeps record of rounds won

Quality

Kidz Knockout is a high quality app that does a good job of providing practice with addition and multiplication skills. Most aspects of the game work exactly as advertised. The levels provide a nice array of complexity so kids can learn and find the app challenging for quite a while. However, the app does have a few rough spots that some users will find frustrating. The monster shoots the balls that the user taps. However, if there is another ball between the monster and the target ball, the shot will “hit” the incorrect number and cost the game. It’s easy to focus on finding the correct number and neglect to make sure the shooting path is clear, so the loss message often surprises the user. The other challenge is that there is no way to undo a mistake. If a child is, say, trying to find factors that multiply to 48 and accidentally hits the first factor incorrectly, there is no way to salvage the game once the mistake is realized. For example, if the target product is 48 and the user shoots a 7 as the first factor, there is no other factor that can be paired with 7 to end up at 48 and the game is lost.

Education

This app has a lot to recommend it for basic addition and multiplication. The format lends itself very well to practicing basic facts, like 7 + 8 = 15 and 3 x 6 = 18. Kids can shoot pairs of numbers that add or multiply to the desired total, and they need to think quickly to find the correct pairs. This will help them build math fact fluency. The three levels feature addends and factors from 1-9, from 5-15, and from 15-20.

The app also lends itself to mathematical reasoning and mental math. There are often multiple paths to create the matching total. For example, 15 can be made by adding 7 + 8, but it can also be made by adding 2 + 2 + 8 + 3. This ability to compose and decompose numbers in many different ways is one of the foundations for mental math. Mental math is a great challenge to truly learn to understand how the number system works.

It would add a lot to the app, however, if there was a way to undo math after the numbers are shot. For example, if a student added  7 + 9 to get 15, realized their error, then could subtract the 1 to achieve success, it would add educational value to the game. After all, one of the key understandings about math is that whatever we do can always be undone using the opposite operation.

Entertainment

Kidz Knockout – Operations will be entertaining for its target age group: children in early to middle elementary school grades. There’s something universal about shooting stuff that most kids love. However, the success and failure messages after the target number is achieved or exceeded are quite bland. The screen shows a message that you won or lost the game, and gives the total number of games won during the current session. This does allow for a competitive feel and a way to beat personal best records, but it does not lend itself to interpersonal competition.

Value

The app costs $1.99 on the App Store, which is not a bad investment, particularly when one considers the child-friendly nature of the game- it’s safe for kids with no in-app purchases or outside links. The app may not have as much replay value as its competitors, and the graphics are somewhat spare to retain their appeal to kids.

Child Friendliness

Kidz Knockout – Operations is very child friendly. There are no in-app purchases, no outside links to social media or other parts of the internet, and no advertisements. The app does have a section that includes directions that is accessible to children, but there is no reason to protect that area.

  • NO accessible external links
  • NO social media
  • NO 3rd party ads
  • NO in-app purchase 

Kidz Knockout – Operations
Quality
Education
Entertainment
Value
Child Friendly
Reader Rating0 Votes
4.2

Kidz Knockout – Operations is a fun little app that helps children gain fluency with addition and multiplication as well as develop mental math skills. Help the monster shoot bubbles that add up or multiply to the number shown on his body to win the game!

$1.99
Editor rating
Rated 4 stars