Zap Zap Math: K-6 Math Games

By Visual Math Interactive Sdn. Bhd.

Description

Zap Zap Math is an educational mobile app video game that makes learning math fun and engaging. This app covers math topics from Kindergarten to 6th grade. Inhabited by Mathlings, the Zap Zap Math is designed based on Bloom’s Taxonomy. To encourage and enhance children’s critical thinking skills.

Support

Android

• Requires Android 4.0.3 and up
• Download HERE

iOS

• Requires iOS 7.0 or later.
• Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
• Download HERE

Zap Zap Math – Overview

It’s not a surprise anymore if you’ll find applications on your smartphone that is educational by design. Educational apps are quite common nowadays. You’ll find a ton of them on the Google Play Store or on iTunes. These are a sign or a proof that education adapts with the current rise of technology. It only shows that a lot of company and people still places a great value on education.

On that note, one particular app that we have here is called Zap Zap Math. Basically, it’s an app that integrated Math learning with video games.

You: Wait…wait… Math and Video Games you say?

Yes, math and video games. Actually, don’t be surprised on that one. As we have mentioned above, this kind of apps is pretty common. So what makes Zap Zap Math unique or special? what makes it different from the rest? That’s what we are about to find out.

Zap Zap Math – Lesson Coverage

As a start, this game requires you to do simple math to complex computations to progress further through the game. This app covers different math lessons for different levels from Kinder to Grade 6+ (wew… no calculus). So in a nutshell, here are the topics covered per each grade as can be seen on the app:

• Grade K
  • Number Recognition
  • Plus and Minus
  • Shapes and Measurement
• Grade 1
  • Plus and Minus (10s and 1s)
  • Time, Measurements, and Shapes
• Grade 2
  • Plus and Minus Thousands
  • Identifying Shapes
  • Measurements
• Grade 3
  • Hundreds and Thousands
  • Basic Multiplication and Division
  • Measurements
  • Fractions
• Grade 4
  • Fractions
  • Shapes and Measurements
  • Multiplication and Division
• Grade 5
  • Fractions
  • Number Basics
  • Shapes and Measurements
• Grade 6
  • Basic Ratios & Rates
  • Total Recall

Based on the list of topics per grade as listed above, I believe this app covers all the math topics that are being taught from schools. It goes to show that Zap Zap Math is not your ordinary app that tries to teach you math through video games.

Zap Zap Math – Teaching Approach

In terms of teaching approach, one of the unique features of this app is that it uses a Math Singapore teaching style while you play through the game. This is mostly because the app is developed and created by Singaporeans. Despite it being a video game, they found a way to incorporate their teaching practice within the game.

In this world, Singapore is one of the renowned countries that most look up too when it comes to teaching. The Singapore math teaching is an approach through the math model method. Under this approach, equations or math problems are drawn or shown into math models that illustrate the questions or the problem.

Zap Zap Math – User Experience

The game is actually quite pretty easy to use and straightforward. Your first try, like every first experience, you will tend to experiment and try everything first. Some might probably go straight to playing the game. However, before anything else, the app is free to download. Although, like most apps, free accounts are pretty much limited to a trial only. You have to pay for a premium account to fully enjoy this app and make the most of it for your child or for kids.

To be honest with you, after playing this for a couple of hours and asking a few people to also play the game, we find it very difficult to comment or provide our opinion as gamers. Well, it’s probably because the app is thoroughly designed as an educational app and not an entertainment type of app.Yes, it’s a video game in nature but not in a way to provide entertainment for people.

In terms of learning, that’s where this app really excel. Each mission, puzzle, and so on, will have a tutorial on how to answer the question or solve the given equation correctly. That goes to show that this app is really designed for kids. Thus, probably is also the reason why they named it Zap Zap Math: K-6 math games or basically, Kinder to Grade 6 math games. Though I still wonder why “Zap Zap”? At first, I thought I was about to electrocute some enemies or some sort like that.

Playing through the game, the app will give you different problems that cover all the basic operation such as addition, subtractions, multiplication, and division. There are also some problems that will really test your math skills and you either have to use two or more operation to solve the given problem. That’s what I like about this app. It got me hooked in solving math problems without using any calculator.

Content

The app is also rich in content and features. It has a rewarding system that allows the player or kids to use the accumulated award points to purchase and upgrade their spaceship. The spaceship has four levels. The player or the kids can customize the design of each level. However, they need to accumulate enough points to be able to use more spaceship decorations. They can earn more points by playing through the game.

Other contents includes quizzes that gives the parents or teachers the option to make a game based customized test for the kids or the players, a table of content that is basically a summary or a quick overview of the lesson coverage, and an option to monitor the progress of the kids or the player through the Zap Zap Math website dashboard. Basically, this allows you to track their progress.

Zap Zap Math – Dashboard

As we have previously mentioned, parents and teachers have the option to track the progress of the kids or the players. As well as making customized test for the players or kids to take part in.

To do that, you just have to simply visit https://www.zapzapmath.com/user/signin and sign in or sign up for an account.

You can even use your Facebook account when signing or creating an account for the Zap Zap Map dashboard. Neat!

Inside the dashboard, everything is pretty self-explanatory and straightforward. Kudos to the developers for making this one a friendly user although it could be better and be even more user-friendly. Especially that the dashboard seems to aim for parents and teachers.

Conclusion

Overall, it’s quite difficult for us to comment or say anything about this in terms of gaming. However, in terms of learning, the Zap Zap Math is something really worth looking into. Especially for parents and teachers since we find this app more accommodating for them than for people who seeks fun and entertainment. For parents, you can use this to further educate your child or children to enhance their knowledge and skills in Mathematics. For teachers, this can be a great tool for teaching Math in schools. A good way to integrate technology in learning and education while teaching Mathematics.

Another worth mentioning is the price of the app. Truth be told, the free one is pretty much useless. I know it’s there to showcase the feature of the app and to provide demos but they could at least do better. Now talking about price, for us, it’s pretty much worth it. It’s by far better than buying a book in our opinion. After trying it for a couple of days, and letting parents and kids try it as well, we find that kids who have tried the app learn Math faster and easily than reading a book. They seem to understand the operation and concept of the lesson way better than a book can.

Lastly, in my humble opinion and as a user feedback, will I be purchasing this app for my kids? I definitely will. I’m more convinced that kids will learn easier and faster through this kind of teaching approach than the traditional bookish approach. We find that investing more into this kind of apps and teaching approach is the future of education.

Behind Zap Zap Math

The idea for a game-based math learning system started way back in 2014. The idea came from John Ng, a Singapore-based math teacher, who at the time felt that there was a learning gap between education and technology. Eventually, more people joined his cause and they are Adam Goh, a gaming UI and UX specialist, and Teh Kim Seng. Together, they founded Visual Math Interactive.

In April 2017, Zap Zap Math CEO, Henry Chui, led a mission to steer the team to bring a gamified way of math learning to kids all over the world. Many educational methods have remained largely unchanged for generations, some of which have been proven to be ineffective for many young learners.

Visual Math Interactive is an EduTech platform currently seed-funded by Netrove Ventures Corporation which is led by Kim Seng, who has over 25 years of experience in the field of technology. We also work closely with a number of advisors including teachers, principals, and education consultants across seven countries to ensure our games and content stay updated, fun and effective. Mission To help kids improve and master math skills by building the most engaging and fun digital learning ecosystem in the world. Vision To provide education in an affordable and fun learning ecosystem that promotes critical thinking for all.

Support

Android

• Requires Android 4.0.3 and up
• Download HERE

iOS

• Requires iOS 7.0 or later.
• Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
• Download HERE