by Stefany Smith

Created on: November 22, 2009   Last Updated: November 24, 2009

Homeschoolers have the added privilege of learning through multiple methods and resources. Of these, interactive games are usually a hit with the students. They learn while having fun; solving problems, helping others, and most of the time, they don't even realize they are supposed to be learning. There are so many free, and nearly free, interactive websites live on the internet that it can be overwhelming, to say the least, to a home school parent looking for a quick fix for their son or daughter. For that reason, I have compiled a list of my family's favorite Math interactive websites that are great for homeschoolers.

Coolmath4kids.com

This site is so much more than just interactive games. There is a section for lessons and practice, as well as one for puzzles, and another that links art with geometry. Yes, there are a ton of games to play as well, to build the skills learned in the other areas. There is even a special area for teachers, loaded with ideas for teaching your students, information on continuing your education, and a list of outside resources that may be able to help you in other subjects. The lessons, concepts, and games are geared toward a wide audience; from kindergarten to middle school and high school. But if you are need of some "higher level" help or instruction, Math4Kids' parent site, Coolmath.com can help with Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, and Calculus concepts.

Playkidsgames.com

As the name implies, this site is not limited to math. There are also games for learning letters, vocabulary improvement, memory building, geography, and games just for fun. There is also the option to create your own classroom on this site, where you can enter the content your child is currently working on into the games already designed. The math portion of this site includes skill building games, as well as math vocabulary building activities, with a little bit of logic built in as well.

Hooda Math

From silly videos with mathematical undertones to step-by-step tutorials, this site has it all. You can play the games alone, or download free lessons that go along with them. The tutorials are very short and simplified, with a talking tutor who writes on the whiteboard as he explains the steps.

Math Nook

Most of the games here are geared toward an older audience, of at least middle school upwards to college and beyond. Everything on this site isn't free, but the pay downloads are fairly inexpensive.

Math Playground

The name of this site says a lot, it takes sometimes challenging math concepts and turns them into strategic fun. In the Thinking Blocks section, students are linked with a virtual tutor who helps them visualize the math problems and work through them to find the solution. The Math Apprentice area helps students see how math is used in the real world, while building their skills and linking them to careers.

* While this may appear to be a very short list of only five websites, the amount of learning and fun you and your kids can have within them is endless. Plus each site also has links to other sites as well. You can now cover everything from learning number names to figuring out the circumference of a circle without ever opening a textbook! Whether you are in search of an entire math curriculum or just some hidden learning fun, you now have the resources at your finger tips.

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