Practice makes perfect. Depending on what you’re practicing, it also makes sweat, calluses, soreness or boredom. Doing anything worthwhile usually involves a little grunting and frustration. Take math, for example. Lots of concepts that build on each other, from counting all the way up to calculus. Learning and practicing the basics is a vital step.
IXL Math bills itself as “The Web’s #1 Math Practice Site.” While I haven’t gone through and ranked all the math practice sites out there, I can say that IXL is a good place for students in grades K-5 to get some extra practice on grade-appropriate math skills. The kindergartners start with counting and learning shapes. Later grades delve into addition, subtraction, fractions, probabilities, decimals…you know, math stuff.
In addition, IXL keeps track of student progress and generates reports that show a kid’s strengths and weaknesses, too. As they succeed, students will also receive medals and ribbons. For that stuff, parents will need to pay for a membership — 10 bucks for a month, $79 for a year. Fairly reasonable, but if you just want the practice without the bells and whistles, you can still find plenty on the site for free.
IXL math is a great place for students to get extra math practice. It’s a slick site, so they may actually have a little fun while they do it. -BILL FERRIS
