I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew and this post includes affiliate links.
Math facts are an important skill that is needed for life, but often boring to practice to perfection. Over the past few weeks, my daughter has been refining her recall using the Horse Riding Game, MathRider, by Sharper Edge International Pty Ltd, and enjoying it. Let’s find out more!
What is MathRider
MathRider is a digital game to practice recalling math facts (not learning them) by having children go on quests in their own fairy tale story to a magical land, looking for a magical flower that will help their mother get well. Children need to answer questions correctly in order to jump over the obstacles.
If the player doesn’t answer correctly the first time, they are given another chance to answer. If they are still wrong, they are given the correct answer. The game is directed by AI so that their horse will either speed up or slow down according to how quickly they answer the questions. AI will also adjust the difficulty level according to how well the player does.
What We Received
We received a downloadable app that can be used on Windows PC or Mac. It cannot be used on Chromebooks, tablets, nor mobile phones. We were able to download this to 2 pcs/laptops using our one lifetime licence. More than one player can play on the app by creating their own riders.
There are a few choices available when playing:
- Music selection
- Operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division)
- Fixed number (up to 5, up to 10, up to 12, or random)
- The number of questions in the quest
- Race mode (obstacle course or time challenge)
There are 4 quest levels (Starter, Intermediate, Advanced, and Master), which you will move up with success.
There is also the option to use ‘Practice Mode,’ where you can ride and practice without it affecting your game quest stats.
I appreciate that there is also the choice between using British or American English.
When you start a quest, you are taken to a magical land where your mother has an illness that can only be cured with mystical flower call pythagorous that can only be found in mathland, travelling by horse. Now it’s up to you to accept the challenge and find the flower to cure your mother.
How We Used MathRider For Math Facts Practice
My daughter, Kallista, had MathRider in her schedule 4 days a week. She created different riders to practice different operations, which isn’t necessary, but she wanted to keep them separate, as well as build up a stable of riders.
After each race you will see how you did on each of the jumps immediately following your game. The higher the bar, the longer it took for you to answer the question. The red bars are incorrect answers:
You are able to check your overall stats and progress easily:
Kallista wanted to give you a video walk-through of how to set up and use MathRider, so you can see how easy it is, and that it’s safe to play without parental supervision:
What We Think About MathRider
There are several things we like about MathRider:
- This is a child-friendly game in which there isn’t any shooting or other violence, and you’re only in competition with yourself.
- It’s a good way to practice basic math skills that are necessary for the rest of your life.
- They advise you not to allow children to play too much at one time – their motto is to leave them wanting more so that they’ll enjoy it and return again and again.
- It doesn’t take very long to play a game; 30 questions go by swiftly and therefore it’s very easy to work into a busy schedule.
- It’s currently sold as a lifetime licence, which means that you have it for life and don’t need to worry about a recurring payment each month. This means it’s also easy to let it sit for a while and then return to it at a future date to refresh your skills without having to set up a new account.
Kallista enjoyed playing MathRider and I would like to have my son play it in the near future as well, just to increase his drill speed.
More About MathRider
Click here to read 24 reviews about MathRider by the Homeschool Review Crew.
Connect with the MathRider:
