Free Math Manipulative Apps

In my experience, Math apps are plentiful, expensive, and many are of questionable quality. I suspect that some teachers want a math app to use in place of an adequate math curriculum. If only teaching math were that easy...

My math teaching experience is limited, but what I've found is that that iPad touchscreen can be a great environment for virtual math manipulatives. Virtual manipulatives can save time, storage space, money, and the annoying situation of policing students building 10-block towers...

Here are some useful math manipulative apps:

1. Schoolkit Math: This app is simple, straightforward, and good for lower elementary students as well as middle school students. The app contains a wide range of virtual manipulatives, including, but not limited to a number line, counters, hundreds chart, tens frame, clock, money, fraction kit, number houses, dot grid, bar graph, multiplication arrays, shapes, ruler, and algebra tiles. The app also contains a Thinking Journal in which students can explain their thought processes using screenshots from the app or photos from the camera roll. They then can email or print their journals as PDFs.

Screenshot of the money page on Schoolkit Math

2. Math Learning Center Apps: These apps are also simple and great for reinforcing basic concepts visually - probably best for the elementary school set. Their database of apps includes Geoboard (remember the rubber bands and metal pegs of old?), Number Pieces (place value), Number Line, Number Frames, Fractions, Math Vocab Cards, Money Pieces, Pattern Shapes, Number Rack (like an abacus).

They also have web versions of each of these apps!

Screenshot of area calculation on Geoboard

3. Let's Do Maths Dial-a-Fraction: Yes, they're British. The dial-a-fraction feature helps students see how changes in the value of numerator and the denominator change the fraction - good for reinforcing basic fraction concepts. Features in this app are limited and you do need to pay up to use certain features.

4. MathPapa: This app is more for middle school teachers since it's all about algebra. Students type in an algebra problem and the app will solve it and show the steps its takes to solve it. This is a great tool for checking work and a good homework resource. You need to pay for the "pro" version to remove the ads.

5. Virtual Manipulatives: This app contains manipulatives for fractions, decimals, and percents. It allows students to quickly see equivalents. Students can draw on the board to label elements or work problems and then save their board as a picture in their photos. This is definitely an app that you need to explicitly teach students how to use and is probably best used in class for specific lessons.

Screenshot of the features of the board - pieces are also available for decimals and percents