Help Your Child Excel in Math with the Smartick Method App
Help Your Child Excel in Math with the Smartick Method App
This post was made possible with the consideration of Smartick Method
As a mom with a child on the autism spectrum and an IEP, we have the option of an extended school year aka summer school. At first I would sign my daughter up fearing she would loose some of what she had learned during the school year but as time went on, I just felt she and myself quite honestly needed a break to play and recharge like most others do. My daughter will be starting the 5th grade this August, circiculum is getting harder, even though my girl does well in school she definitely has room for improvement.
With most that have autism, my daughter learns differently and timed testing is not a strength of hers within the classroom setting. Upon exiting the 4th grade her teacher recommended she continue working on her math skills to make the transition into the 5th grade smoother. Focusing and staying on task is still a work in progress so when I was approached by Smartick Method to try their math program out I was very willing to give it a try. She's been using the app for a week now and here's what I think.
It takes 15 minuets a day.... That's it! A perfect amount of time to keep her engaged without any struggle. It gages your Childs area of strengths and ones that need attention and sends you a daily report immediately upon completion of the days session. Report includes your Childs overall performance, percentage of correct answers, speed in responses and over all comprehension of the material covered. It will also let you know if the work was not completed or if the session was skipped all together.
Why does my daughter like it? She is motivated to get a good score by earning TICKS which can then use to "buy" thing for her avatar, or for the city within the app. This type of rewards system works great for most kids but especially for those on the spectrum. The faster they correctly answer the problems, the more TICKS they can get along with finishing the day's session quicker. There is a bar on the side that show the progress and ticks earned which is another good tool to help visually motivate your child. Your child can also have the opportunity to correct any incorrectly answered questions earning them more ticks.
My daughters Avatar, the days session results and ticks earned. From here she is free to play within the city, buy things with her ticks or do other challenges like memory games.
My thoughts, it's a great tool that won't discourage your child doing the work with the TICK reward system. My daughter reminds me that she needs to do her Smartick before I even have to say a word. She does all the work on her own and can hear when she gets a problem right so there is no need for me to assist or watch over her shoulder building her independence, confidence and ability to work on her own without the need of prompting. These areas are crucial in the classroom and in the home carrying over to those setting which make me very pleased with this app.
Smartick Method is recommended for ages 4-14 and to be used 5 times a week. It covers all sorts of math problems from sequencing, written problems to mental math. Sound like something you would want to try? You can visit Smartick Method online or download the app on GooglePlay or iTunes and try it for free for 15 days with no obligation, They offer monthly subscriptions if you decide to continue.
