Find out what MNers think of Smartick’s online after-school maths programme

[JustineBMumsnet]

This is the feedback thread for the Mumsnet users who tried and tested Smartick’s online after-school maths programme for children. This product test was open to all UK MNers with at least one child between the ages of 4 and 14, that have access to an internet-enabled computer/laptop or tablet.

Here’s what Smartick have to say: “Smartick is an award-winning, AI-based, online maths programme designed to develop mathematical abilities in children ages 4 to 14. Smartick promotes an understanding of maths through personalised and accelerated learning by adapting to each child's level and learning pace in real time, allowing them to work according to their maths needs and capability. Each child has a unique and personalised path that constantly adjusts to help fill in gaps in knowledge.

There are more than 20,000 users of Smartick in over 100 countries. We've collaborated with the MIT G-Lab and been published by Harvard Business Review and Forbes as well as featured as an app favourite by Apple.”

Testers please answer the questions below:

1. What is your main motivation for getting your child or children to do additional maths

practice (e.g. to improve current grade, to progress beyond what they are currently taught at school, etc.)?

1. Did you end up talking to someone from Smartick via phone or email – whether you reached out or they did? Was it helpful?
2. What did your child enjoy about the sessions? What do you as a parent like about Smartick?
3. How does Smartick compare with other online math programmes or traditional math

programmes you may have used?

1. What do you think of the emphasis on children learning critical thinking and problem-solving skills?
2. Would you recommend Smartick to friends/family? Why or why not?

All testers will be required to leave feedback on this thread on Mumsnet and also fill in a short survey. All who do so will be entered into a prize draw where 3 MNers will win a £100 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck

MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs Apply

1. What is your main motivation for getting your child or children to do additional maths

practice (e.g. to improve current grade, to progress beyond what they are currently taught at school, etc.)?

DS has a ‘do just enough’ personality, he is average at school and that’s fine by me but if I can help him out/motivate him to do a little extra whilst enjoying it then I try to do so.

1. Did you end up talking to someone from Smartick via phone or email – whether you reached out or they did? Was it helpful?

No, and it wasn’t needed - them program is easy to set up and use

1. What did your child enjoy about the sessions? What do you as a parent like about Smartick?

I introduced the program to DS as a game, and told him it was optional. It is generally quite motivating - he loves to receive the stars - so he has been happy to ‘play’ most days. The option to have the question read out to him really helped, he is in year 1 and he is able to read out the questions himself but his reading isn’t completely fluid and doing so costs him time, it can also affect his understanding so having them read out helps a lot. He hasn’t explored much of the extras but did find the shop where he can ‘spend’ stars on accessories - he loved that.

As a parent I love being able to review his sessions, I enjoy seeing how motivated he is. I also like the way that a variety of topics are introduced and slowly extended.

1. How does Smartick compare with other online math programmes or traditional math

programmes you may have used?

We’ve not done much to compare really. In the past I bought a maths workbook - DS found it hard to understand what was wanted in each case even though he could do the math - Smartick is better because it reads out the question and reads out tags etc too. Other than that I occasionally quiz him on times tables or number bonds etc which is fine but requires more input from me - with Smartick once he got used to the format he could complete a session without me (though I do tend to stay nearby because I want to feel involved). Also the 15min timer is great because if it’s a new or tricky concept it doesn’t drag on and on.

1. What do you think of the emphasis on children learning critical thinking and problem-solving skills?

I haven’t noticed a lot of this tbh - maybe DS is too young? Occasionally he comes across a question in which it isn’t clear what exactly is wanted - I don’t consider that to be a positive

1. Would you recommend Smartick to friends/family? Why or why not?

Yes, if they were after something of this type I would, but it is very pricey and I think it would be hard to justify for a child who isn’t struggling significantly.

Thank you Mumsnet and Smartick, we really enjoyed testing this one! I kept notes as we went along because I wasn’t sure what feedback would be wanted - here is some thoughts in bullet point form if it’s of any use...

I like the option to select SEN
It is good to be able to have more than one child on your account - easier for parents.
Like the way the question is read out
First assessment was fine, fairly easy but moving along smoothly.
Second and third assessment good. Motivating.
Occasionally needs to have the question explained in more details/the intent of the question explained.
Tutorial: quite negative. New concept - needed more time, more guidance. Demotivating.
Occasionally, at random there is no option to have the question read out. Presumably a glitch?
The parent info email occasionally contains a short passage in another language (Spanish?)
Overall a lovely confidence booster for DS

Personally I enjoy maths so I took the opportunity to test myself - I pretended I was 14 as that’s the oldest available. Here are my thoughts from the older perspective (though I must admit I am very much NOT 14!):

Tutorial: bit boring and slow but effective.
Simplifying fractions: seems very harsh to get a big red x when the answer is right, just missing the last step - would surely get most of the marks in an exam.
Older pupil tutorials very boring!
Some sessions very boring and repetitive (multiplying fractions).
Not clear if/when ok to use a calculator? Or scrap paper?
DS watches me doing my sessions sometimes, he sees me finding it tough but persevering even with red timer etc. Sees me eager to complete the lesson - seems to find it motivating. He also enjoys ‘competing’ with me to see who gets the most stars!

1. What is your main motivation for getting your child or children to do additional maths

DS1 - catch up as he's behind DS2 - extra work to keep him entertained after school - he's greater depth and loves maths but isn't always challenged

1. Did you end up talking to someone from Smartick via phone or email – whether you reached out or they did? Was it helpful?

No - I didn't run into any problems.

1. What did your child enjoy about the sessions? What do you as a parent like about Smartick?

Youngest DS loves it. We both enjoyed the critical thinking puzzles whilst using it as it felt like something very different for both of us. He loved earning ticks and dressing his avatar.

1. How does Smartick compare with other online math programmes or traditional math

Holds up quite well to online. I felt it wasn't geared up for UK maths all of the time - lots of things we've enever covered before in Y2 with my youngest which was stressful at times. I also feel he wasn't actively taught much - we did a time module which gave him some learning but the rest seems to have been assessment. We've been doing times tables (7s and 6s, both of which he doesn't know but doesn't need to know in Y2...) for days. I think something like the Carol Vorderman one is probably more usful, but not as enjoyable.

1. What do you think of the emphasis on children learning critical thinking and problem-solving skills?

Both myself and DS2 adored this. Very helpful for CATS and just up DS2's street. DS1 had a look at a few and refused to do any as he doesn't udnerstand logic!

1. Would you recommend Smartick to friends/family? Why or why not?

I'm torn. DS1 (11) thought it was far too babyish in style and was too embarrassed to use it. DS2 (7) loved it, as I said, it challenged him nicely and he thought it was brilliant, but I don't think it fits in well to the UK curriculum and lots of it was frustrating because it didn't translate well to how our children are taught. It's very, very, very expensive too - we would not be able to finance signing up to the programme unfortunately. Still cheaper than a tutor, but I think there are others better designed out there. That said, DS2 is desperate to do 15 minutes a day until the trial expires in November, so he is getting a lot out of it purely because it's 15 more minutes of maths a day.

1. What is your main motivation for getting your child or children to do additional maths

practice (e.g. to improve current grade, to progress beyond what they are currently taught at school, etc.)?

I signed up because my middle child (8) had been identified as not progressing in maths and we already have a maths tutor for her but will be stopping this in September. She has ability but I think she struggles to get the attention in class. I also have a reception child and a year six child so they both also been trying out to.

My year six child is very bright in maths and has been picked out by her school as gifted and talented so it was interesting to see the results and reports for all my children! Funnily enough my eldest was not as outstanding as I expected her to be as per the report. She was slow in many areas! My middle child actually was outstanding in many areas which was a big surprise. It certainly gives me a lot more confidence that I understand the maths levels my children are at as it’s sometimes hard to know. The difference in how the school regards my two is probably more to do with how much they put their hand up in class!

I was also amazed that it catered for a five-year-old. She was able to do these exercises which were obviously simple but having seen what the other two were doing I was sceptical that they would get this right. I’ve been very impressed.

1. Did you end up talking to someone from Smartick via phone or email – whether you reached out or they did? Was it helpful?

No - no need to for us. It’s all worked great.

1. What did your child enjoy about the sessions? What do you as a parent like about Smartick?

They really enjoyed the avatar aspects. So for example dressing the avatar and choosing the eye colour and hair colour et cetera. They also really enjoyed purchasing pets and items for their pets. My littlest loved decorating the bedroom and visiting the shop! It’s very well done. As a parent I love the reports and the fact that they want to do it and ask me to do it.

1. How does Smartick compare with other online math programmes or traditional math

programmes you may have used?

We have used mymaths and Mathletics before and this feels a lot more like again and also I feel like I’m getting so much more feedback although I have no idea what teachers get on mymaths and Mathletics as both of those maths programs are run by the schools.

1. What do you think of the emphasis on children learning critical thinking and problem-solving skills?

I 100% think that the emphasis on critical thinking and problem-solving is key. Smartick does seem to include this but without knowing exactly the percentage - as I don’t sit with the children (apart from the littlest) - of critical thinking / problem-solving versis other maths work, I’m not sure if it’s too much or too little, but the children seem to enjoy it all.

1. Would you recommend Smartick to friends/family? Why or why not?

Yes - definitely. I actually feel thar the school should look into it because mymaths and Mathletics are quite expensive and not as good at engaging the children. It will be nice to know how much Smartick charge for school subscriptions. For comparison I know that both mymaths and Mathletics are around £1000 for a school of around 200 students for one year.

1. What is your main motivation for getting your child or children to do additional maths

practice (e.g. to improve current grade, to progress beyond what they are currently taught at school, etc.)? All different reasons for 3 different children, the eldest struggles a bit with homework, the middle one enjoys maths, the youngest is just starting out.

1. Did you end up talking to someone from Smartick via phone or email – whether you reached out or they did? Was it helpful?

I had an unsolicited 'phone call; the woman was very nice, we didn't have anything to sort out.

1. What did your child enjoy about the sessions? What do you as a parent like about Smartick?The children all find the tasks they are set easy and don't mind doing them, they enjoy the games and buying things in the shop. As a parent I liked how it lasted a set period of time and changes according to ability.
2. How does Smartick compare with other online math programmes or traditional math

programmes you may have used? The avatar and games are similar in concept to Mathletics, which we get free from school. For Mathletics children choose which tasks they want to do, which they really like, but it means it needs a bit more parental input if you don't want them to just skip the tasks set by school and play the games. Mathletics is part of homework and more obviously linked to the other written homework we get, but doing things on Smartick which may not be on the British curriculum isn't a bad thing. Smartick looks nicer!

1. What do you think of the emphasis on children learning critical thinking and problem-solving skills?

They don't seem to notice this at all

1. Would you recommend Smartick to friends/family? Why or why not?

I certainly would if it was a reasonable price but no way! For multiple children it is still £29.50 per child per month

What is your main motivation for getting your child or children to do additional maths
practice (e.g. to improve current grade, to progress beyond what they are currently taught at school, etc.)?
My son was struggling to keep up with Maths at school so I wanted him to have some support and get used to regularly doing home based maths work/revision.

1. Did you end up talking to someone from Smartick via phone or email – whether you reached out or they did? Was it helpful?

The only contact I had with someone from Smartick was when they accidentally cancelled the trial after the initial period. They emailed back within 24 hours and had resolved my problem

1. What did your child enjoy about the sessions?

My son likes getting the stars when he does well. He finds the 15 minute slots manageable. What do you as a parent like about Smartick? I like that it is just the right amount of time for him to focus on the work and I love the feedback emails.

1. How does Smartick compare with other online math programmes or traditional math

programmes you may have used? I have only ever used a face to face approach. My son definitely responds better to the online learning.

1. What do you think of the emphasis on children learning critical thinking and problem-solving skills?

I like it, although would prefer use of English currency for the learning.

1. Would you recommend Smartick to friends/family? Why or why not?

Yes. I think it's a great resource. my sons knows that it is a part of his day now to complete the 15 minute slot during the evening

1.What is your main motivation for getting your child or children to do additional maths practice (e.g. to improve current grade, to progress beyond what they are currently taught at school, etc.)?
Because we want to give our son the best opportunity to gain additional learning whenever possible.

1. Did you end up talking to someone from Smartick via phone or email – whether you reached out or they did? Was it helpful?

No contact made.

1. What did your child enjoy about the sessions? What do you as a parent like about Smartick?

I liked the straightforward simplicity. Our son liked the sporting challenges.

1. How does Smartick compare with other online math programmes or traditional math

programmes you may have used? No other programs used

1. What do you think of the emphasis on children learning critical thinking and problem-solving skills?

I think that it's vital for children to learn these skills in order to develop

6.Would you recommend Smartick to friends/family? Why or why not?
I might reccomend it for older children, our son is 5 and found the exercises quite a chore.

1. What is your main motivation for getting your child or children to do additional maths

practice (e.g. to improve current grade, to progress beyond what they are currently taught at school, etc.)? - I have always struggled with maths myself so don't want my son to feel the same as I did! to get his confidence up - you read things everyday but dont necessarily do maths everyday so always good to do more!

1. Did you end up talking to someone from Smartick via phone or email – whether you reached out or they did? Was it helpful? no I havent spoken to anyone during the trial- i didnt need too.
2. What did your child enjoy about the sessions? What do you as a parent like about Smartick? My son said easy but fun way to do maths! I liked how you can keep eye on their progress
3. How does Smartick compare with other online math programmes or traditional math

programmes you may have used? Easier to use, more fun - only issue we had was some questions for co-ordinates were not easy to map on the phone but other than that a great way to learn that's fun too!

1. What do you think of the emphasis on children learning critical thinking and problem-solving skills? Its good to have this included
2. Would you recommend Smartick to friends/family? Why or why not? - Yes a fun way to learn and better your childs maths skills

1. What is your main motivation for getting your child or children to do additional maths

practice (e.g. to improve current grade, to progress beyond what they are currently taught at school, etc.)?

My eldest daughter loves all things maths so jumped at the opportunity to test this and surprisingly my middle and younger daughters both jumped on the band wagon to help them improve it.

1. Did you end up talking to someone from Smartick via phone or email – whether you reached out or they did? Was it helpful?

No I never spoke to anyone from Smartick in either format.

1. What did your child enjoy about the sessions? What do you as a parent like about Smartick?

My child loves the sessions and that they are quite fun maths, also loves the characters and being able to customise those and that you can buy things with the stars you earn.
I love the incentives to get them to do maths- I don’t have to ask them anymore to start their sessions. I also LOVE the emails you get after saying how well (or not so well) your child has done in that session.

1. How does Smartick compare with other online math programmes or traditional math

programmes you may have used?

I think Smartick is so much better than other maths programmes i’ve Used before. We used one from the school before but it was a chore getting the children to do their maths. This is fun, simple and my children love doing it.

1. What do you think of the emphasis on children learning critical thinking and problem-solving skills?

I love that part of the tests, as this is the parts of maths most useful in the real world in my opinion.

1. Would you recommend Smartick to friends/family? Why or why not?

I would definitely recommend Smartick to friends and family, depending on the cost. The programme is brilliant and you can add children as young as 3 on it. I have trialled it with all 3 of my girls (ages 9, 6 and 3) and all of them love completing their sessions.

1. Motivation... my girls are doing well in maths and the work at school is not challenging enough, though I could find a way of challenging them.
2. Someone contacted me via phone.
3. One of my girls loved the extras (the competitions bit) the little one liked the bit that it reads to her.

I really liked the parent section and how you can see and reward their work. 4.It is a good app but it needs to be changed to uk base, we spent most of the time being assessed and reassessed and it was just not getting their level right. It would be great if there was an option for the parent to set work levels.

1. It is a great idea and something I feel would improve school grades not just maths.
2. I would not recommend this app as it is at the moment. It needs to be improved on the way it personalises the work and for the price it is it really should do better.

If it was 1/2 the price I would probably tell people it would be worth it.

I personally liked the app but my girls where not impressed, they love their reading app (the bug club from school) they go on it without being prompted but this app did not get the same response.

1. What is your main motivation for getting your child or children to do additional maths

practice (e.g. to improve current grade, to progress beyond what they are currently taught at school, etc.)? I’ve been looking at Kumon to stretch my children a bit more and improve their current grades. Also to help focus on area of maths they’ve found more challenging.

1. Did you end up talking to someone from Smartick via phone or email – whether you reached out or they did? Was it helpful?

I’ve not needed any help as the site is easy to navigate. I’ve had a voicemail from Smartick offering help if needed.

1. What did your child enjoy about the sessions? What do you as a parent like about

Both children have enjoyed the short 15 min sessions. They’ve been kept motivated by the stars they can earn each day which in turn can be used to purchase upgrades for their avatar such as clothing, pets. The program is presented in a bright and child friendly format which both children have been using without any support. The initial assessment sessions were accurate and the tasks set for both children appear to be at an appropriate level. The parent feedback is excellent and immediate and highlights areas of strength and any topics that might need more work.

1. How does Smartick compare with other online math programmes or traditional math

programmes you may have used? We’ve used a couple of online maths programs in the past but neither have motivated both children as much as Smartick. They wake up asking to complete the days session as they are both desperate to earn more stars for Avatar upgrades. The short 15min daily sessions are achievable and easy to fit in each day and so far seem to be really helping boost confidence and achievement.

1. What do you think of the emphasis on children learning critical thinking and problem-solving skills? Excellent, encourages independent learning and boosts confidence.
2. Would you recommend Smartick to friends/family? Why or why not?

Definitely! most of my friends have a battle with their children to study at home after school and Smartick has been effective in encouraging my children to actually want to learn. I like the fact they are able to complete the tasks independently. As far as cost is concerned it’s definitely more expensive than the other programs I’ve seen so I can see this as being the only negative thing which might put other families off.

1. What is your main motivation for getting your child or children to do additional maths

practice (e.g. to improve current grade, to progress beyond what they are currently taught at school, etc.)? My 5 year old is good with maths but sometimes struggles with word reasoning problems and lacks confidence. My 4 year old starts school in September and is very good with numbers and showed a fantastic interest in the app.

1. Did you end up talking to someone from Smartick via phone or email – whether you reached out or they did? Was it helpful?

I didn’t speak to anyone at Smartick, it was easy to set up and use.

1. What did your child enjoy about the sessions? What do you as a parent like about

Both my daughters loved that they would earn golden tick stars, would be congratulated when they solved so many questions correctly in a row. My 4 year old especially loved being able to spend her ticks in the shop after she had finished. I really enjoyed seeing my kids enjoy what they where doing, that they had the opportunity to correct any question they got wrong first time round. I also like the emails received after each session giving a breakdown of the activity done. I like that their progress is tracked and they are also challenged at different levels, it feels very personalised.

1. How does Smartick compare with other online math programmes or traditional math

programmes you may have used? I have downloaded a few other ones, but they seemed very basic. Smartick comes across as a more personalised service that pushes the child to develop their math skills in a different format, which is very important.

1. What do you think of the emphasis on children learning critical thinking and problem-solving skills?

This is an important skill, I know from helping my 12 year old step daughter previously that she struggled with this as it wasn’t really covered and she struggled, so I try and use this with my younger two as much as possible. Maths is not just about sums, the various language used within Smartick gets them thinking about different things.

1. Would you recommend Smartick to friends/family? Why or why not?

I would absolutely recommend smartick and in fact have already recommended it to some of my daughters friends parents.

Thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to review it. My girls love it and will fight to who will do their session first!!

1. What is your main motivation for getting your child or children to do additional maths practice (e.g. to improve current grade, to progress beyond what they are currently taught at school, etc.)?

To help my daughter improve her maths as she is currently behind her expected level

1. Did you end up talking to someone from Smartick via phone or email – whether you reached out or they did? Was it helpful?

Didn't speak to anyone

1. What did your child enjoy about the sessions? What do you as a parent like about Smartick?

I liked the time limit and that the session automatically ended after 15 minutes rather than after a set number of questions, which means less able children don't get demotivated. My daughter liked the more visual questions and the fact that she could 'spend' her stars

1. How does Smartick compare with other online math programmes or traditional math programmes you may have used?

Much preferred it to Mathletics which she has done through school. Smartick worked well on laptop and tablet. The activities were tailored to the child's ability. Not sure how well it translates to the UK way of teaching maths, but doing things differently isn't necessarily bad!

1. What do you think of the emphasis on children learning critical thinking and problem-solving skills?

Good to help build understanding rather than learning by memory

1. Would you recommend Smartick to friends/family? Why or why not?

Yes (dependent on price)

1. What is your main motivation for getting your child or children to do additional maths

practice (e.g. to improve current grade, to progress beyond what they are currently taught at school, etc.)? My daughter is bright and good at maths, but doesn't like to push herself - she doesn't like getting things wrong so would rather stick with what she's comfortable with. I wanted to try something that would challenge her.

1. Did you end up talking to someone from Smartick via phone or email – whether you reached out or they did? Was it helpful?

Yes, by email. I wanted to know more about the 'friends' my daughter had suddenly acquired. I was reassured that there should be no safety issues about it, but I'm still uncomfortable with the idea that people we don't know can be friends with her when all the internet safety lessons are not to talk to people you don't know online. Had I known in advance that she could have friends I probably wouldn't have used her real name as her username.

1. What did your child enjoy about the sessions? What do you as a parent like about Smartick?

She loves them. I think she puts up with the first bit in order to get to the games etc, but she regularly asks to do it. I'm a bit disconcerted by not having detail of what she's doing, and finding some of the content I have seen a bit odd - I did maths to 18 and there are terms she's being taught that I've never heard of. That also makes me wonder how some of it relates to the school curriculum. I do like how keen she is though.

1. How does Smartick compare with other online math programmes or traditional math

programmes you may have used? I've never used any, but one they get through school my daughter's assessment today was 'programme x doesn't know me, these questions are too easy. Smartick knows me better.'

1. What do you think of the emphasis on children learning critical thinking and problem-solving skills?

Hadn't spotted that, sounds good.

1. Would you recommend Smartick to friends/family? Why or why not?

At the price they charge I struggle to think which of my friends would be up for it, but I might mention it to someone concerned about their child's maths if I thought it might be something they could afford (e.g. as an alternative to going straight to a tutor). When it's a bonus extra to what they're doing in school it seems an awful lot to pay.

1. What is your main motivation for getting your child or children to do additional mathspractice (e.g. to improve current grade, to progress beyond what they are currently taught at school, etc.)?

My 5 year old is good at maths, but struggles sometimes when something is a little different and lacks confidence. My 4 year old starts school in September and was keen to try this and excelled wonderfully using this.

1. Did you end up talking to someone from Smartick via phone or email – whether you reached out or they did? Was it helpful?

I had no need to contact Smartick.

1. What did your child enjoy about the sessions? What do you as a parent like about Smartick?

My daughters loved earning the golden tick stars, being congratulated when they had answered so many questions correctly. My 4 year old particularly loved spending her stars in the virtual shop. I loved that each session seems personalised for each child and their ability. The emails after each session showing the child’s progress is great to see how they are getting on. I also like that the child is asked how they are feeling before and after each session. My girls love this.

1. How does Smartick compare with other online math programmes or traditional math programmes you may have used?

I have downloaded a few previously, but found them very simple and generic, they didn’t provide the same level that Smartick can at all.

1. What do you think of the emphasis on children learning critical thinking and problem-solving skills?

This is very important, maths in everyday life isn’t provided in a sum format, this builds the skills that is needed.

1. Would you recommend Smartick to friends/family? Why or why not?

I would recommend this and in fact I have mentioned this to a few friends already.

1. What is your main motivation for getting your child or children to do additional maths

practice (e.g. to improve current grade, to progress beyond what they are currently taught at school, etc.)?

My eldest has loads of gaps in his maths knowledge and none he’s a high school and can’t guess anymore it’s becoming obvious what he has missed.

1. Did you end up talking to someone from Smartick via phone or email – whether you reached out or they did? Was it helpful?

No. But someone from smartick asked me something in spanish once and that started an amusing exchange!

1. What did your child enjoy about the sessions? What do you as a parent like about Smartick?

My youngest liked the animals you could buy. My eldest wasn’t too fussed about anything. I liked getting an email almost immediately afterwards about how they had done.

1. How does Smartick compare with other online math programmes or traditional math

programmes you may have used?

Sometimes we dip into BBC bite size which is very relevant for his current Scottish course.

1. What do you think of the emphasis on children learning critical thinking and problem-solving skills?

Think it’s not overly apparent.

1. Would you recommend Smartick to friends/family? Why or why not?

Yes as it seems to be helping them a little. But it would depend on cost.

1. What is your main motivation for getting your child or children to do additional maths practice?

My son (5) really enjoys numbers, and I have no idea how things are taught at school. I would love to help him at home, but am nervous about teaching him the wrong way and confusing him.

1. Did you end up talking to someone from Smartick via phone or email – whether you reached out or they did? Was it helpful?

I receive a phone call which was pleasant. I mentioned about trousers being called pants, and that my son was confused about why they were called pants. I had not realised you could change the voice/accent and language type so we had started using it in USA english. The lady on the phone talked me through how to change it to UK English.

1. What did your child enjoy about the sessions? What do you as a parent like about Smartick?

My son really likes Smartick, he actively asks to go on in it every single day, which as a parent I think is marvellous that he is so keen to learn. He thinks it is fun, he likes doing the corrections to get an extra tick, buying things in the shop and arranging his room. He has got on well learning how to answer the questions. Although they are not hugely various at his age/level I would imagine that for older children it would have more variety.

1. How does Smartick compare with other online math programmes or traditional math programmes you may have used?

I haven't tried any other online or traditional math programmes.

1. What do you think of the emphasis on children learning critical thinking and problem-solving skills?

Im keen for my son to be given lots of opportunities for his own development. He learnt quickly how to get the questions read out, so he was able to answer without my help and now he is confident with how the different parts of Smartick work he doesnt want any help at all...he can do it 'all on my own mummy'.

1. Would you recommend Smartick to friends/family? Why or why not?

Yes I would recommend Smartick to friends if they were looking to help with maths learning. However, I would recommend it with the caveat that it is very expensive. Im not sure I know anyone who would be able to easily afford the monthly cost with children the same age as my son.

1. What is your main motivation for getting your child or children to do additional maths

practice (e.g. to improve current grade, to progress beyond what they are currently taught at school, etc.)? I wanted to give my reception-aged child chance to explore maths in greater depth than she does at school.

1. Did you end up talking to someone from Smartick via phone or email – whether you reached out or they did? Was it helpful?

No, I didn’t not talk to anyone from Smartick

1. What did your child enjoy about the sessions? What do you as a parent like about Smartick?

My child really enjoyed the test sessions, particularly the reward stars and bring given praise for correct answers in a row. She really liked questions on shape recognition. She loves the Wishing Well feature (although has not used it to write about Smarticks sessions), it’s helping her to develop typing skills which is an unexpected bonus. She tried lots of the other games and activities, of which her favourites were probably the temple memory game and the skittles subtraction task. As a parent I liked the length and structure of the test sessions - long enough to get stuck into but structured in a way that my child did not lose interest. I really liked the fact that she was able to go back and correct wrong answers, particularly as she became more intent on achieving all correct scores. It was a big confidence boost for her, and that helped her focus more the next time.

1. How does Smartick compare with other online math programmes or traditional math

programmes you may have used? We’ve not tried any other maths programmes.

1. What do you think of the emphasis on children learning critical thinking and problem-solving skills?

I loved it. My daughter responded really well to it and her skills have improved massively since beginning the programme. Smarticks seems to provide a very broad range of topics and approaches, which we both liked.

1. Would you recommend Smartick to friends/family? Why or why not?

I definitely would, and already have. Having looked at the prices, for us the cost in prohibitive. However, for parents looking at one-to-one tuition I can see that this represents good value for money in comparison, and has made a noticeable improvement to our daughters skills and interest in maths.

Thanks for letting us trial Smarticks!

1. What is your main motivation for getting your child or children to do additional maths

practice (e.g. to improve current grade, to progress beyond what they are currently taught at school, etc.)?

Maths is an essential skill, not only for academic success but in life.

1. Did you end up talking to someone from Smartick via phone or email – whether you reached out or they did? Was it helpful?

I reached out for help via email to find out how to add more than one student. I received a response within 72 hours and a follow up just over a week later. The response was helpful and included screenshots.

1. What did your child enjoy about the sessions? What do you as a parent like about Smartick?

The children liked collecting stars and responded well to the 'How are you feeling' questions. They also liked some of the games. I liked how incorrect answers could be remedied and attempted a second time.

The children didn't like that they couldn't navigate off the task to the attention / reasoning games, and and to complete a session each time in order to get to the games. There was no way to pause and resume later, it had to be attempted in one go. We also stumbled upon a few errors, such as answers not registering, so the system would mark a correct answer as unanswered. Vital images that were part of the question disappeared, and sometimes when numerical responses were required, typing or selecting the numbers using the mouse did not work. It is also very difficult to change the level the child is working at.

1. How does Smartick compare with other online math programmes or traditional math

programmes you may have used?

Smartick is interactive and allows the child to select their own avatar. The 'How do you feel' indicators are also a nice touch. But Smartick also seems limiting in that you cannot change task or level, you first have to complete the whole session.

1. What do you think of the emphasis on children learning critical thinking and problem-solving skills?

This emphasis is encouraging and reassuring as this will develop transferrable skills which can apply in real life.

1. Would you recommend Smartick to friends/family? Why or why not?

At the moment I am not sure. The concept is great, but we have encountered a few too many errors and limitations when testing it to warrant the cost of a subscription. The cost is also very steep, and I would rather put that towards a tutor.

. What is your main motivation for getting your child or children to do additional maths
practice (e.g. to improve current grade, to progress beyond what they are currently taught at school, etc.)? My son really enjoys maths and problem solving, so thought it would be useful to have screen time that he enjoyed but was still educational.

1. Did you end up talking to someone from Smartick via phone or email – whether you reached out or they did? Was it helpful? No, didn't need to contact anyone.

1. What did your child enjoy about the sessions? What do you as a parent like about Smartick?

He loved getting the ticks and the positive feedback. Enjoyed the games. I liked the village setup and the fact it was 15 minutes, so long enough to get value from it but not too long to get bored.

1. How does Smartick compare with other online math programmes or traditional math

programmes you may have used? Haven't used any

1. What do you think of the emphasis on children learning critical thinking and problem-solving skills?

The level he was on seemed very simple in honesty. I kept expecting it to readjust to his level, as the feedback was that he was fast and accurate. The questions seemed more preschool or reception than year 1.

1. Would you recommend Smartick to friends/family? Why or why not?

No, it has a lot of potential but the cost is prohibitive and it doesn't seem to adjust quickly enough to keep attention.

For the first few days he loved it and kept asking for it. Then it's become difficult to get him to engage with it at all.

1. What is your main motivation for getting your child or children to do additional maths

practice (e.g. to improve current grade, to progress beyond what they are currently taught at school, etc.)? My daughter is going into Year 6, she is capable in Maths but I don't think is being stretched in a mixed ability class. The pace is slower than she needs so I wanted something to get her working with more pace.

1. Did you end up talking to someone from Smartick via phone or email – whether you reached out or they did? Was it helpful? I haven't been in touch with Smartick.
2. What did your child enjoy about the sessions? What do you as a parent like about Smartick? My children like the session being timed, it is long enough for a quick boost and it made them feel successful. I liked the information emailed about each session, to see what they are doing well and what they need to improve on.
3. How does Smartick compare with other online math programmes or traditional math

programmes you may have used? I like the more structure of Smartick. I actually tutor myself but my daughter likes the computer work, kids love being on a computer, I think she feels less pressure as it is more of a game.

1. What do you think of the emphasis on children learning critical thinking and problem-solving skills? I like the logic sessions and extra questions, sometimes it can seem an odd question and not very mathsy but it is a good mix.
2. Would you recommend Smartick to friends/family? Why or why not? I really like it, it supports my child and my daughter has noticed she is managing mental arithmetic questions much better already. It is so easy to fit in and my daughter wants to do her sessions. The only issue is the price, it is probably more money that I can afford. It's a shame as I like the product but it may price many people out.

1. What is your main motivation for getting your child or children to do additional maths
practice (e.g. to improve current grade, to progress beyond what they are currently taught at school, etc.)?
DS’s school uses Sumdog for homework which he loves doing but I don’t really see the value of it and so was hoping to find something similar with less gamification. He also really enjoys maths and the fact the app might stretch him was a bonus.

2. Did you end up talking to someone from Smartick via phone or email – whether you reached out or they did? Was it helpful?
Yes. It was very helpful.

3. What did your child enjoy about the sessions? What do you as a parent like about Smartick?
DS really enjoyed getting a diploma and also the x no. Of correct answers. I liked the emails and the fact it showed you which questions he got wrong and the answer he gave.

4. How does Smartick compare with other online math programmes or traditional math
programmes you may have used?

I really liked it was 15-20 minutes and that is it. We have maths books but the ease to spend longer than agreed means that they mainly get used during the holidays. DS really enjoys that he does his activities and that’s it.

5. What do you think of the emphasis on children learning critical thinking and problem-solving skills?
I really liked the questions and how it slowly builds up in skill. DS has yet to ask me to help him, which is great as the questions are clearly stretching him but aren’t too hard.

6. Would you recommend Smartick to friends/family? Why or why not?
Yes I would and have but we all struggle with the price.

1. What is your main motivation for getting your child or children to do additional maths practice (e.g. to improve current grade, to progress beyond what they are currently taught at school, etc.)?

DS is v bright and loves Maths. School are not consistent at setting extension work so we have been looking for something fun to practice and extend his learning at home.

1. Did you end up talking to someone from Smartick via phone or email – whether you reached out or they did? Was it helpful?

No I didn't but didn't need to.

1. What did your child enjoy about the sessions? What do you as a parent like about Smartick?

I like the daily progress email and DS loves to read it even when it tells me he's not been working hard enough! It often has stray Spanish words in it though which makes me wonder about the QA process

1. How does Smartick compare with other online math programmes or traditional math programmes you may have used?

We also use Mathletics via school. DS enjoys this as well but the Smartick stars and diplomas are more motivating at the moment though this could be the novelty factor.

1. What do you think of the emphasis on children learning critical thinking and problem-solving skills?

I've not seen much of this tbh. There seems to be more of a focus on repetition.

I found some of the terms and question formats difficult to understand and explain. It would help if there were examples of how to answer questions/ or a clue what they were getting at as the format isn't always obvious.

1. Would you recommend Smartick to friends/family? Why or why not?

The app has been very good at getting DS to consolidate learning about e.g. sets and patterns but I'm not sure how much new knowledge has been built as it seems to takes ages to calibrate his level. Some of the addition and subtraction questions are so easy that DS gets bored and doesn't complete or deliberately gets them wrong - guaranteeing more of the same the next day.

Overall we liked it and will continue to use it while DS remains interested. I'd struggle to recommend it at the current price point though. It is way too high for this app given that its mainly been used for daily practice vs. building new skills.

The app itself is also v glitchy and the delete button is too close to the enter button. This had led to some upset when DS accidentally gets something wrong. Things like this would need to be fixed for me to pay at all.

1. What is your main motivation for getting your child or children to do additional maths practice?

My child finds maths a bit challenging at school but enjoys all types of computer games and apps so I thought Smart tick could be a fun way to help improve her maths.

1. Did you end up talking to someone from Smartick via phone or email – whether you reached out or they did? Was it helpful?

No, I didn't see a need for that.

1. What did your child enjoy about the sessions? What do you as a parent like about Smartick?

She enjoyed the mix of questions on different areas of maths and that the sessions weren't too long. She enjoyed choosing her own avatar.

1. How does Smartick compare with other online math programmes or traditional math programmes you may have used?

Similarly to Doodlemaths. I think the range of graphics and pectoral presentation of questions is better with Smarttick, though.

1. What do you think of the emphasis on children learning critical thinking and problem-solving skills?

I hadn't particularly noticed this on Smartick but it is a useful thing to include.

1. Would you recommend Smartick to friends/family? Why or why not?

Yes, although it's important to get the British English completely accurate first. For example, one question asked my child to form the number 'one hundred three' which is how American English would verbalise the number 103 but in British English we would say 'one hundred AND three'. It can cause confusion for children if not accurate.

1. What is your main motivation for getting your child or children to do additional maths practice (e.g. to improve current grade, to progress beyond what they are currently taught at school, etc.)?

My daughter loves numbers despite only being 4. She is due to start school in September, where I understand technology will be used in the classroom, so I thought online maths with Smartick would be a good introduction and something we could do at home together.

1. Did you end up talking to someone from Smartick via phone or email – whether you reached out or they did? Was it helpful?

No, I didn't need to.

1. What did your child enjoy about the sessions? What do you as a parent like about Smartick?

my daughter absolutely loved the sessions - both the initial questions and then the games afterwards. She loved earning stars/points and spending them in the shop. I liked the fact that it felt like fun rather than homework. I liked the way a 4 year old could easily follow quite complex concepts such as telling the time on here.

1. How does Smartick compare with other online math programmes or traditional math programmes you may have used? I have not used anything else.
2. What do you think of the emphasis on children learning critical thinking and problem-solving skills?

i didn't necessarily notice this approach. I was surprised each session launched straight into questions rather than teaching anything first, however this worked fine for my daughter. I liked the revision session, as this was a change from the usual routine and built her confidence. The maths my 4 year old was doing also appealed to my 2 (almost 3) year old so I was able to set him up an account too! He did not always have the stamina for a full session but he loved the games.

1. Would you recommend Smartick to friends/family? Why or why not? Yes, defintely, it's learning disguised as fun.

1. What is your main motivation for getting your child or children to do additional math

practice (e.g. to improve current grade, to progress beyond what they are currently taught at school, etc.)?
I signed on to improve my dd's mental arithmetic.

1. Did you end up talking to someone from Smartick via phone or email – whether you reached out or they did? Was it helpful?

No

1. What did your child enjoy about the sessions? What do you as a parent like about Smartick?

The sessions were short but effective. Did never got bored of finishing one session. After finishing her daily session, she also got to play on smartick.

1. How does Smartick compare with other online math programmes or traditional math

programmes you may have used?

I have tried Rm easimaths and mathletics and I much prefer smartick.

1. What do you think of the emphasis on children learning critical thinking and problem-solving skills? I think daily short doses helps to develop their problem solving skills.
2. Would you recommend Smartick to friends/family? Why or why not?

I already recommended it to a family with 3 kids and all kids love it.