• It is sad to admit, but lots of kids have problems with math. Now, I’m not one to point fingers and say it is the schools fault, or teachers, or any of that. That is a whole other post in itself. But the reality is that lots of kids need an extra boost in math. I recently stumbled upon Xtramath.com and I have to say I am pleasantly pleased. My daughter is in the first grade, learning basic math facts. Addition and some subtraction. Xtramath.com is a completely free website that helps kids memorize their math facts. Nailing those early facts can help make or break a child’s success at higher level learning. Honestly, it is hard to find x, if you do not know what 2+2 is.

    Xtramath.com is being used in classroom settings as well as at home, like us. It takes just a few minutes each day for your child to complete. After about one week, I noticed that my daughter was answering math questions a tad faster than she was before. I am excited to see what a full couple of months will bring.

    My daughter thinks the whole experience is a game, which is a plus. It helps keep her excitement level up. She is frequently excited to get on the computer and practice. I love that!

    My biggest complaint was the timed placement test. For whatever reason, seeing that huge timer count down the seconds gave my daughter a case of the “oh-my-God-what-is-happening-the-world-is-going-to-end” syndrome. Given that she panicked, I think she might have scored lower on the placement test. Once she realized that it was all going to be ok, even if the time ran out, and even if she got the answer wrong, everything went much smoother.

    Over all, it is a fun, free, website to help give your elementary aged kids a boost in math.