This is a sponsored post, and I was compensated for my time, however, all opinions are my own. This post may contain affiliate links.
Let’s be real.
Homeschool math can be intimidating for parents when selecting curriculum. You want your child to thrive, to understand, and (most of all) to do their lessons without complaint.
Not having to relearn the math yourself is also a HUGE plus in my book.
Teaching Textbooks 4.0 hit all three four nails on the head for us, and I’ve been so happy with the curriculum this past school year for my kids!
Sticker & Buddies & Games (oh my!)
My youngest two are currently working through Math 4, and my oldest is using Math 6. They all adore the fun elements of the app-based program. My kids are motivated by the stickers they can earn, the colorful animations within the lessons, and exciting games and bonus rounds every so often.
Luckily, Teaching Textbooks provides kids with those fun surprises when they earn a new “buddy” avatar to encourage them through each lesson or a new sticker for their online sticker album.
Independent Customization
Being able to customize the app really appealed to both of my boys. They enjoy changing up their wallpapers every once in a while to make things seem new and fresh. These small things that the kids can change independently help them stay engaged and interested in the concepts being taught. I LOVE that stickers, buddies, and wallpapers can all be changed by them without my assistance.
They use these items as rewards for themselves and honestly never get distracted from the ultimate goal at hand–fully understanding and learning each new mathematical concept introduced.
Just-Right Lesson Length
Another engaging part of Teaching Textbooks is the lesson length. I don’t know about your kids, but mine DREAD having to sit through a long lesson followed by pages of practice problems. The lessons are presented in the perfect amount of time to keep my kids focused before they tire of it. The practice problems that follow the lecture portion of the lesson are also just the right amount.
Think back to when you were in school. Do you remember your teacher assigning page after page of practice problems?!
My homework typically looked like this for math class as a kid (especially once I hit middle school).
“Read pages 75-77 if you forgot the lesson as demonstrated in class.
Complete problems 1-25 on page 77,
the odd problems on page 78,
and the even problems on page 79.”
Exciting times. Am I right?!
I was a good student who truly enjoyed math in school, but even I thought (at times) that all those assignments were totally overkill and super blah! The fact that Teaching Textbooks doesn’t prescribe to that “drill and kill” mentality resonates with me and my kids. I’d never ask them to work for hours on math problems, and I feel confident that they get just the right amount of practice from their daily lessons.
My oldest appreciates the scratchpad feature within the app as well. No more pencil and paper scratch paper needs here! Any chance he gets to use our Apple Pencil with our iPad makes math that much more fun for him (and I’ll take what I can get!)
Bonus Rounds
Try to think back with me here…
When I was in school we occasionally got to take a class trip down to the school-wide computer lab. I recall in the lab being able to select from a few fun computer games especially when it came to math. There was one game that we essentially were given quick math facts to solve against a timer. My little math-loving heart went crazy over those beat the computer kind of games.
Bonus Rounds from Teaching Textbooks remind me of that brief few minutes I got to enjoy once, maybe twice a month in the computer lab at school.
My kids flip out with excitement when it’s their turn for a Bonus Round during math. Sometimes they’ll even run into my husband’s home office to have him witness how quickly they can recall their math facts. Every few lessons they’re rewarded with a Bonus Round, and it’s definitely a highlight of their week!
Make Math FUN Again
This math curriculum truly took tears out of our school days and brought back some fun, especially for my oldest who is currently using Math 6. With previous curriculum we’ve tried, it always seemed to end up that we’d get to a point in the math book where he’d hit a wall. He had become extremely anxious when I asked him to get out his math each day. I didn’t want that for him, and am so thankful we decided to give Teaching Textbooks a try. He enjoys his math now. He doesn’t mind listening to the lesson and working out problems. When he gets to a concept that is maybe a bit confusing or new to him we can pause and discuss our way to understanding. I love that he can move at his own pace and not feel the pressure of knowing he has a page full of math problems to complete.
Past Experience
I’ve shared our love of Teaching Textbooks 4.0 since 2020!
Please check out my previous posts below:
Math on the Go with Teaching Textbooks 4.0
Teaching Textbooks 4.0: Why it Works for Us
Curriculum Planning: 4th Grade
Curriculum Planning: 2nd Grade
Curriculum Planning: 1st Grade
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