Need a good maths app that practices real basics - Y2 but v behind

[drspouse]

DS is in Y2 but honestly I think he's come backwards on maths since Reception (when he said it was his favourite subject). He is totally resistant and if there's the slightest hurdle he gives up.
He can just about
Add up if he uses manipulables and you keep a close eye on him to make sure he isn't counting wrong. He could probably do this up to 100.
He can't remember that you don't need to count the first number again if you know what it is (e.g. you'll say, here's 5, and here's 2 more, how many have you got? and he'll start by counting the 5 again).
Subtract ditto
Count up to 100 but with a few glitches. When I say he's going backwards, he's started writing e.g. 61 as 16 and he STILL (not sure he ever stopped) reads 60 as Sixteen and 16 as Sixty, sometimes.
Count in 2s up to 20.

He can barely
Remember what + and - and = are
Count in 5s - probably to 20? though I heard him saying 5, 10, 15, 16.
Remember a few of his number bonds (e.g. he can just about tell me that if he has 3 apples and I give him 2 more, he'll have 5, without counting).

He can't at all
Count in 10s
Remember what x and division sign are

School have My Maths for homework but it only works on a desktop meaning that we sit DS down on the computer chair, he can't do a sum on the screen, we get him to try with the manipulables, he loses his place on the screen, he gets frustrated and gives up (he is also awaiting assessment for ADHD and has a microsecond's attention span and floor level resistance to frustration...)

They have another system we have a login to but when we tried the maths on that it went much too fast for him (it has fish and bubbles? I can't remember the name though).

Everything I've tried has oodles and oodles of practice with single digit names and then leaps ahead with about 2 goes at adding single digits which zip past much too fast.

My son is very similar to yours. Make sure you get as much help in school as possible.

Ds is making progress now but still about 2 years behind.

Have a look at Numicon and forget computer/ apps etc you need to keep it real for now.

Ds school uses Mathletics which is ok but for basics Numicom is good.

We've been using Conquer Maths since the summer and really like it. It is broken down into year groups and you can go back over any topic. There is a short video instruction of 3-5 mins and then lots of questions to practice. The interface works really well. DS1 and 2 use it - one repeated a whole year over the summer and it really helped things stick.

School send out Mathletics too, which is good fun, but it doesn't help teach stuff. Good luck!

He has 1:1 in school but they also report he's really resistant!
He's in after school club most days but he does go to homework club and they've agreed he can do his My Maths there (as we weren't really doing it anyway, so it just stops the battles). I have no idea if he's actually doing anything in that.

I just had a browse of Mathletics and I don't think his reading is up to it - that's the problem with some of the others - basically we are not doing what's on the page, we are doing a different method to get to the answer e.g.
If it has a sum
5+6=
then we are translating that into Lego
And if the writing says
Which number is larger 14 or 21?
we are reading it out to him so why are we bothering with something on the screen?

Numicon also looks really pricey though! And we get him to do so little that it could be £60 for 5 minutes a week (which is about what we get him to do at the moment).

We do mainly do it with workbooks (which he resists like mad) and Lego or coins at the moment.
I'm just hoping for something that a) he might actually find fun and b) that we can persuade him to do lots of repetition/practice on.
If we do a page on a workbook it takes SOOO LOOOOONG to get him to do each of 4 sums once, that there's no way we can get him to keep concentrating enough to practice and retain them.
So every time we go back to them it's all brand new and like pulling teeth again.

Take a look at DoodleMaths. If you don't have a school account then you'll need to pay for it (not sure how much) but it's really good and is augmented so works providing its used correctly. After doing 5-a day (they encourage your child to do at least ten minutes a day - that's all but of course they can do more) it unlocks a robot/pet for your child to build spending stars they've earned.

My son is in Y1 and they use this at school alongside Abacus Maths (account required) - he's learning loads.

Hmm Conquer Maths looks like it might work (though again the language is very high level and we'd need to redo all the on-screen objects by using Lego etc.)
Because he has such poor attention, if he has small things to count and isn't paying attention, he skips them/counts them twice/counts two together.

Also, print out a number block for him. Massively helpful to use at this age.

Smartick is good because it adapts to the level of each child, but it may be pricey. I think you can get a free 2 week trial.

Maths Factor is good, costs £10 a month but you can just pay each month so you could give it a try and see what you think. You can sign up to the 30 day challenge and then if he goes on each day for 30 days he gets an actual medal sent through the post!

Mathletics will read out the question if you click on the icon

I like Doodlemaths, but if he needs even more basic then the Maths 3-5 app is fantastic - really well designed and engaging and not too long.

DoodleMaths looks good but you can't see what it's really like without paying - and again it seems like there is a lot of writing?

Sorry, meant to say the Maths 3-5 app has objects to manipulate on-screen, which sounds like it might help him.

Also Maths Seeds is good, much more sort of fun based and uses cartoon characters etc, the lessons are more fun/ game like - this is quite cheap I think compared to others and I think you can get a free trial.

My dd is in reception so thought might be helpful to share the things that are helping her? Apologies if inappropriate!

1. watching numberblocks on iplayer. Will be too simple for some of the stuff your son is struggling with but helps with visualising numbers and basics of addition and subtraction

2. an old fashioned abacus with ten beads per line up to 100

I think we may have Maths 3-5 but this is kind of what I mean - there's a fair amount for preschool stuff (he could do all of those things except adding, at preschool) - and he may need to reinforce his addition but there's only one section of that in the one I found.

Hermione we have a DD in Reception also and we looked at Numberblocks - it's OK for her but I think DS needs to practice actually doing addition - and he needs lots of practice.

This is all confirming what I thought!

There's a lot for preschool kids - counting, matching etc.

There's a lot once they can read instructions (and understand the words - I saw that some of them read it out - but reading out "Construct a number sentence" doesn't help if he doesn't know what 'Construct' means nor what a 'number sentence' is).

But really practicing addition and subtraction again and again till it's automatic, and practicing counting in 2s, 5s etc. - nothing.

It's all a bit like if there were swimming lessons for putting your face under water, and once you'd mastered all the strokes, but if you are learning the strokes they showed you once and then expected you to swim.

My yr2 DS loves maths and is quiet good at it. We haven't used any maths apps but do spend a lot of time playing board games and iPad games. These involve counting and developing an understanding of strategy. How does your DS find board games? Perhaps start there, get him counting out the moves. Choose games that have moving forwards and backwards for subtraction.

DS fave games are
Monopoly and Junior monopoly
Snakes and ladders
Frustration
Yahtzee sp?
Scrabble

Plants vs Zombies Hero's is great for learning numbers with addition and subtraction.

I have been using IXL with my boys. It has either a monthly or an annual subscription. Maths and/or English. It works on their tablets and has the option for the instructions to be read out to them. I think there was a free trial month at the beginning but that was a couple of years ago now.

Aaargh this is just so typical!

Maths Seeds sample lessons

mathseeds.co.uk/about/sample-lesson/

Skips from sample lesson 21 (counting forwards and backwards 1-10) to sample lesson 91 (near doubles when adding).

But at least you can have a 2 week trial!

Have you tried prodigy?
It's a maths site, but mixture of monster catching game, by answering questions, so fun for children too.
It does assess your ability, but can also override difficulty via parental account if too easy/too hard.

There’s a follow up to the maths 3-5 app, it’s called maths 4-6 I think.

I found Maths Factor straightforward. You watch a short video, do a warm-up or two, and then have a go at some questions. They also have games that you unlock as you go along and resources that you can print out.

If anything some of the topics have too many practice sessions before you move on to the next thing, so it doesn't leap ahead too much.

I think they used to have a money-back guarantee if you weren't happy but that was a while ago so I;m not sure whether it still applies.

Not an app but I used this book with my dyscalculic daughter for a while - and then the following one. She would have been older than your ds at the time but we found it helpful. It uses a lot of repetition and starts very basic.

Arf that looks much more like it. Like I say we did try 3-5 but it didn't take the higher levels far enough.

We use a very basic free one called Hit the Button for number bonds but it definitely doesn't help with the concepts - but brilliant for drilling and practice once they've got the concept down.

It sounds like you're doing all the right things with using tangible things to count up, lego blocks, etc. I agree with the number block and number line suggestions as well.

It's hard when they can't read instructions, my cousin is like this in Y2 and not reading instructions on his own. You sound like a wonderful parent doing lots to help your child learn!