With the increasing popularity of STEM-focused learning more and more students are taking on more and more challenging math courses. However, for some students, the subject can present a real challenge; but knowing where to turn to for help can greatly mitigate the struggle and improve their understanding.
Here are 14 favorite online resources to help make math more approachable—and even fun—for students at all grade levels.
1. Khan Academy
Khan Academy is a completely free personalized learning resource with online courses, videos, and exercises. Students can complete daily reviews and keep track of their progress within the platform’s learning dashboard. The math tutorials are categorized by subject and by grade level for easy navigation and utilize specialized content—with the help of organizations like NASA, California Academy of Sciences, and The Museum of Modern Art—to bring the lessons to life.
What teachers love: Practice problems provide hints one step at a time, so students can get help when they’re stuck at a specific point, but don’t necessarily need help with the entire problem. This allows them to work things out for themselves and learn at their own pace.
Grade levels: K-12; secondary
2. YouTube University
Many students are already familiar with YouTube, but we’re guessing they don’t frequent the site’s University channel. The Mathematics playlist has more than 30 videos with problem-solving lessons and real-life examples of math in action. Students can also subscribe to individual courses, teachers, universities, and organizations—like Khan Academy—to get notifications when new math-related videos are posted.
What teachers love: YouTube is a familiar platform for students so it’s easy for them to search for the help they need. Plus, many of the videos are relatable and fun (check out Math Antics’ channel, for instance).
Grade levels: 10-12; secondary
3. IXL
While IXL is a subscription-based learning site, it does offer free daily math practice problems. Students can complete ten free questions (in each subject) per day and grow their math skills. The subscription membership includes unlimited practice questions, analytics, certificates, and personalized skill recommendations.
What teachers love: If a student gets a problem incorrect, the program shows all the steps to complete the problem so they can see where they went wrong and learn from their mistakes.
4. Math is Fun
Just as the name implies, Math is Fun aims to make math enjoyable and entertaining. The site uses puzzles, games, quizzes, worksheets, and a forum to help guide students through their learning.
What teachers love: The problems and solutions are all explained in simple language, making it easier for students to learn on their own without the necessity of an adult or teacher to “translate.”
Grade levels: K-12
5. Wolfram MathWorld
MathWorld is a free online resource for everything related to mathematics. The site includes interactive GIFs and demonstrations, downloadable notebooks, and “capsule summaries” for various math terms. Students can explore the more than 13,000 entries to strengthen their math foundation and build up their understanding.
What teachers love: The site allows older and more advanced students to really dig deep into mathematics, with topics and articles in several different math-related subjects for a variety of background and ability levels.
6. Art of Problem Solving
With the Art of Problem Solving, students have three different avenues to get help and resources related to math. The Online School is a gateway for students to enroll in additional math classes and AoPS’ Bookstore offers challenging, in-depth textbooks so students can further explore the subject.
What teachers love: Students can challenge themselves to dig deeper into the math subjects they find fascinating through moderated message boards, games, and articles.
Grade levels: 2-12
7. Desmos
Desmos is a free online graphing calculator that students can use to graph functions, plot data and evaluate equations. The site also includes math examples and even creative art—so students can get the most out of the calculator.
What teachers love: The website and program are extremely user-friendly, with an extensive help center; and with Desmos, families don’t have to worry about purchasing a pricey graphing calculator.
Grade levels: 6-12; secondary
8. Numberphile YouTube Channel
Grade levels: 6-12; secondary
9. edX
Grade levels: 6-12; secondary
10. MIT OpenCourseWare
Grade levels: 6-8
11. How To Learn Math (a free online Stanford University course)
Grade levels: 6-8
12. Mathplanet
Grade levels: 6-8
13. Illustrative Mathematics
Grade levels: 6-8
14. Adapted Mind
Grade levels: K-5
15. Zapzapmath
Zapzapmathis a game-based approach to learning math for K-5/ Elementary. It comes with a web dashboard that gives parents and teachers the opportunity to oversee each child’s progress individually. It also has over 150 math lessons to practice, with a fully developed comprehensive curriculum and a syllabus has been designed to incorporate Higher Order Thinking Skills in the fields of creation, evaluation and analysis. All of this combined into a game-based ecosystem of fun math learning for preschool, kindergarten and elementary students.
Grade levels: K-5
16. Arcademic Skill Builders
Free educational games for kids in K-8. Featuring multiplayer learning games, math games, language arts games, and more.
Grade levels: K-8
17. Buzzmath
Buzzmath is a way to practice your middle school math skills. It's fun, it has immediate detailed feedback and examples that allow you to progress at your own pace.
Grade levels: middle school
18. Matific
Matific offers games and activities for elementary and middle school aged students. There are two versions of the platform offering a "school" version that allows assignments to be made and a parent version providing math activities with increasing complexity.
Grade levels: elementary and middle school
19. Mathway
Mathway can help with any math problem from basic algebra to complex calculus.
20. MathDoku
MathDoku lets you enjoy millions of the latest Android apps, games, music, movies, TV, books, magazines & more on any device.
21. Middle School Math
With Middle School Math, students practice, predictably enough, middle school math skills. The app features a game-based approach, and a charming monkey to guide students along.
Grade levels: middle school
22. Sushi Monster
Sushi Monster! is a game to practice, reinforce, and extend math fact fluency.
23. Chalkboard Math
Chalkboard Math is for elementary school students in need of math practice in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
Grade levels: elementary school
24. Reflex Student
Reflex helps grade 2-8 students to practice recall of math facts in all four operations.
Grade levels:2-8
25. Operation Math
Turning math drills into a game, Operation Math includes more than 100 times missions that help players learn addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
26. Kahoot!
Practice skills, terms, and more in a game-based environment.
27. Calculator HD
Calculator HD combines the Standard & Scientific calculator, with several functionality options.|
28. BrainPOP
BrainPOP is an animated educational site for kids.
29. Fraction Calculator Plus
Easily add and subtract fractions with this free calculator.
30. Math & Science Tutor
Math and Science Tutor provides over 1500 video lessons in math, algebra, calculus, physics, chemistry, engineering, and statistics.
31. Learn K-6 Math & Reading
Adapted Mind has over 300,000 math problems for children in kindergarten through sixth grade.
Grade levels: K-6
32. Let's Rock Math
Let's Rock Math provides ad-free math videos for children in kindergarten through fifth grade.
Grade levels: K-5
33. Dragon Box
Dragon Box provides multiple apps for various ages to learn math in a fun way.
34. Free Graphing Calculator
A free, powerful, flexible graphing calculator.
35. Quizlet
Quizlet makes simple learning tools that let you study anything. Learn by flashcards, games, and other various learning tools.
36.Prodigy Math
Prodigy Math provides a fun way to learn math for children in the first grade through the eighth
Grade levels: 1-5
