Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product through one of my links I will make a commission.
Math fact fluency lays the groundwork for problem solving. When children are able to recall basic facts quickly, it makes math tasks easier and less frustrating. That’s where Page a Day Math can help.
Page a Day Math Kits are tools to build math fact fluency. With daily repetition, just a few minutes each day, your child will build his or her knowledge of facts. You can get math kits for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. My son is working on simple addition, so we used the Addition Starter Kit.
Available as physical books and digital products, you can select what works best for your family. We reviewed the digital product which is simply a pdf file of all the pages you’d get in the physical book. We printed out the pages and assembled them in a three-ring binder.
Meet the Math Squad
Kids will adore the Math Squad-dog superheroes, Mo, Zo, Bo, Jo, and Flo that frequent the pages of the books. The cute dogs have their own uniquely printed capes and clothing. They’re positive role models, each dog representing a career that uses math!
What is in the Addition Kit?
Ten Addition & Counting Books
The Page-a-Day Addition Kit comes with ten math books. Each book is devoted to a set of math facts. Book One begins with the one facts, Book Two covers the two facts, on up to Book Ten for the tens facts.
The directions for using Page a Day Math are very simple and explained at the beginning of each booklet.
Doing a page a day means completing both the front and back of a page. There are twenty-four problems per page, except review pages have twenty-eight. Days 4, 8, and 12 are review days. Each book contains fourteen days of math fact fluency practice. Pages take less than ten minutes to complete.
After finishing the book, kids can acknowledge their hard work by filling out the certificate at the end.
Addition Flashcards
The addition flashcards are not like any I’ve used before. You print them on one side, cut them apart and fold. This relieves any double-sided printing problems. When you fold them, use a glue stick to seal the fronts and backs of each card together. Then the flashcards will be more manageable.
I love how the flashcards are colorful and have the Math Squad characters on them. Unlike typical flashcards, these are attractive to kids. Each card has the same math fact but in reverse order. This helps kids recognize that 3+2 is the same as 2+3.
Addition Assessments
If you’re not sure how well your child knows his or her math facts you can start by giving an assessment. There are four timed tests for addition ranging from 70-90 seconds each. Follow the scoring instructions to determine what facts will be best to work on with your child.
For my son I printed an assessment and then changed my mind about giving it to him. A timer adds pressure, and because of his attention issues I knew a timed test wouldn’t be an accurate assessment.
If your child doesn’t do well with timers, you can secretly time her. Just tell her to do the whole paper as quickly as she can and pay attention to how much she’s completed by the minute mark.
Progress Tracker
Kids can enjoy this cute tracker that shows the cover of each book in the addition kit. They simply circle the book they’re working on.
Eats and Treats Print Practice
This 32-page book has one hundred food words that kids can trace to practice their letter formation and penmanship. There are five words per page. Each page is for one day of practice.
Instead of dots or fine lines to trace, the letters are in a block style, referred to as “tracing tracks,” that kids can easily use as a guide. There are dots to show where to put your pencil to start and numbers to indicate the order in which to make the lines.
Adorable Adjectives Print Practice
You also get a book of adjectives. Kids can learn new words while practicing their penmanship.
Bonus Material
You can also download free bonus material using a special code you’ll find in your addition & counting books that includes Math Squad character coloring pages and more.
Thoughts About Page a Day Math
We enjoyed using the Page a Day Math Addition Starter Kit. My son got quicker at his math facts as the days went on. At first he had to use his fingers, but over time he memorized many of the facts and could write the answer without counting.
The only “complaint” I had with the program is the format of the answer boxes. Instead of a simple empty box, each one has a dotted matrix in it to help kids with their number formation. I found the dotted lines distracting for my son. But this detail doesn’t detract from the quality of the math program. It’s more a matter of preference.
The Page a Day Math Addition Starter Kit would make a great supplement to any math program you are using. It really helps kids learn their facts by heart in a fun, easy way. Your kids don’t need to put in tons of time and effort to develop math fact fluency. Just a page a day will do!
You can read more reviews like this about all the math kits available at Page a Day Math by visiting Homeschool Review Crew.
