DragonBox Numbers

DragonBox Numbers (iOS, Android, and Amazon), aimed at kids 4 through 8, introduces number sense, addition, and subtraction through cute characters called Nooms. The characters are designed to resemble Cuisenaire rods, math learning aids that introduce kids to arithmetic operations in a hands-on way. Kids feed, slice, and sort the Nooms, developing familiarity with addition, subtraction, fractions, and ranges. DragonBox Numbers is one of the best 2nd grade learning apps.

This app teaches different concepts of addition and subtraction that a child needs to learn at a young age and is made to follow DragonBox Numbers.  DragonBox Numbers teaches children number sense. This foundational knowledge allows a child to reason with numbers in a flexible way, building a strong relationship with numbers, which will in turn help them move onto more complex mathematics.

There are 6 different worlds to explore with 10 different resources like apples, rocks, and fish among many others to trade for coins. These coins are then used to buy different resources, especially diamonds that are required to unlock the different worlds. 

Every section of the app involves some kind of addition or subtraction exercise to move further in the game. After collecting the different apples and rocks, children have to perform addition or subtraction exercises. During each exercise, they have to write the answer by dragging their finger instead of tapping something, similar to how they would write on a piece of paper. This action helps them relate closely to how they would perform exercises in a classroom setting. 

It also teaches about place value, by using visuals like a single apple to represent the ones place and a bag of apples to represent tens place. This app has made use of the different concepts that are taught in class and made them accessible by giving them the purpose of building a beautiful world for the delightful characters called Nooms. 

The app contains four different activities, each designed to challenge the player to use the Nooms and basic math in a different way. The sandbox level of their game, in particular, is very unique. It allows children to freely play with numbers. This builds a curiosity and positive association with numbers through play. However, it goes one step further, in that it allows children to learn through play and discovery—which gives the player a deeper understanding of numbers, more so than, for example, a game based on quizzes and the memorization of math facts. 

Additionally, children are not just playing with numbers. They’ve created colorful characters called Nooms, which represent each number on the numbers line, until ten. Each Noom has their own look, their own personality. Children get to know these Nooms, they interact with them on a very personal level, thereby deepening their understanding and engagement in their early math development, and allowing them to move onto more complex mathematics in the future. 

Why it’s great: The Nooms function as digital versions of what classroom teachers call math manipulatives, physical learning aids that help young children understand theoretical math concepts in a concrete way. For older kids, the DragonBox series continues on with algebra and Euclidean geometry.