Evidence-based curriculum for ages 2-8

Try ABCmouse FREE

for 30 days!

 Then just $14.99/mo. until canceled.

Do Not Sell My Info

Logo

Do Not Sell My Information

We take your privacy very seriously and will never monetize the Personal Information of any User of our Services by providing it to a third party in exchange for money. The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) has a broader definition of the term “sell” which includes disclosing Personal Information to any third party for valuable consideration. When we work with our advertising partners, we are disclosing certain information such as cookies for their services, which are of value to us. Under the CCPA you have the right to opt-out of our disclosure of your Personal Information to third parties for monetary or other valuable consideration. You may exercise your right to opt-out through the settings on this page. However, please note that if you opt-out you will not receive special discounts or offers that may be of interest to you. In addition, if you opt-out, but come back to our site through a different browser or device we will not be able to recognize you, so you will still have to opt-out again.

Manage Cookie Preferences

Sale of Personal Information Opt-Out

We take your privacy very seriously and will never monetize the Personal Information of any User of our Services by providing it to a third party in exchange for money. The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) has a broader definition of the term “sell” which includes disclosing Personal Information to any third party for valuable consideration. When we work with our advertising partners, we are disclosing certain information such as cookies for their services, which are of value to us. Under the CCPA you have the right to opt-out of our disclosure of your Personal Information to third parties for monetary or other valuable consideration. You may exercise your right to opt-out through the settings on this page. However, please note that if you opt-out you will not receive special discounts or offers that may be of interest to you. In addition, if you opt-out, but come back to our site through a different browser or device we will not be able to recognize you, so you will still have to opt-out again.

Analytics and Performance Cookies

These cookies are used to collect information about traffic to our Services and how users use the Services. The information gathered does not identify any individual visitor. It includes the number of visitors to our Services, the websites that referred them to our Services, the pages they visited on our Services, what time of day they visited our Services, whether they have visited our Services before, and other similar information. We use this information to help operate our Services more efficiently, to gather broad demographic information, and to monitor the level of activity on our Services.

Targeting Cookies

These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

Functionality Cookies

Always Active

These cookies allow us to remember choices you make when you use our Services, such as remembering your language preferences, remembering your login details, and remembering the changes you make to other parts of Services which you can customize. The purpose of these cookies is to provide you with a more personal experience and to avoid you having to re-enter your preferences every time you visit our Services.

Essential Cookies

Always Active

These cookies are essential to provide you with services available through Services and to enable you to use some of its features. For example, they allow you to log in to secure areas of our Services and help the content of the pages you request load quickly. Without these cookies, the services that you have asked for cannot be provided, and we only use these cookies to provide you with those services.

How Online Games Can Enhance Foundational Math Concepts  

Young boy learning math by playing online math games.

Just as online educational games bring benefits to learning literacy skills, such as recognizing sight words and learning the alphabet, they also offer advantages to learning foundational math skills, such as shape recognition.  

Research on the effectiveness of online educational games in improving basic math skills in children has shown promising results. Studies indicate that digital game-based learning can be an engaging and effective way to help teach math skills to children.

Digital Math Games in Action

To better understand how digital games can aid in teaching beginner math skills, let’s explore how these games can turn foundational math concepts, such as learning shapes, into engaging activities that capture children’s interest and facilitate deeper learning. 

How Digital Games Make Math Appealing to Young Children 

  • Integrate the fundamental concepts of geometry with interactive, engaging activities. 
  • Tailor gameplay, including content and game visuals and audio, to the correct age group.  
  • Turn abstract concepts, like shapes, into vibrant and fun experiences. 

Incorporating all three of these elements into an educational math game needs to be done seamlessly to create a quality and impactful learning experience.

Examples of How Digital Math Games Make an Impact

In the digital shape game Hamlet the Hungry Hamster, preschoolers and kindergarteners engage in helping Hamlet the Hamster navigate his way out of a maze by following various age-appropriate 2D shapes, such as triangles. As children correctly move the adorable hamster through the maze, they grow their familiarity with shapes and are rewarded by successfully completing the maze.  

Screen capture of a fun Hamlet the Hungry Hamster, preschool and kindergarten math game on ABCmouse.com.

Another advantage of using educational games to teach concepts like shape recognition is their ability to present geometric figures in a dynamic and visually appealing way. Children can interact directly with shapes, manipulating them through dragging, rotating, and matching activities.

This hands-on interaction can help young learners understand the properties of different shapes, including how they look from various angles and how they fit together with other shapes.

For example, children are given an opportunity to drag shapes into matching outlines in the game Spider Web Shapes, where they assist a spider in completing its masterpiece while growing their understanding of various 2D shapes. 

Screen capture of a fun Spider Web Shapes, preschool and kindergarten math game on ABCmouse.com.

Explore More Digital Math Games

Here are two more online games that can help bolster children’s early math skills, specifically with shape recognition.

Shawna’s 3D Shape Hunt  

In this game, children will join Shawna as she explores the sandy shores in search of different 3D shapes. As they enjoy time at the beach, children can work on spatial reasoning, shape recognition, and geometry. 

Screen capture of a fun Shawna's 3D Shape Hunt, preschool and kindergarten math game on ABCmouse.com.

Ivan’s Tally Time    

In this game, children will help match the number of shapes in Ivan’s boxes to the number of tally marks on a blackboard, working on shape recognition, counting, one-to-one correspondence, and cardinality.  

Screen capture of a fun Ivan's Tally Time, math game on ABCmouse.com.

The integration of game-based learning into math education can offer a more dynamic and motivating learning experience for children, potentially leading to improved mathematical skills and greater enthusiasm for the subject.  

Looking for More Fun Activities?

See All ABCmouse Activities

Related Activities

Pin