Thursday Tool School: iPad Apps for Kids- Wings by Motion Math

Title: Wings by Motion Math

Description: Wings is a multiplication game where players compare two amounts and fly through the larger quantity. While the game may seem very simplistic and best suited for younger students, this game is appropriate for a variety of age and ability levels as the quantities are represented as numerical products, arrays, or multiplication facts. There are multiple levels of both play and difficulty, including pre-multiplication, basic multiplication, and advanced multiplication. See the picture below. 

Advantages: This is a very simple game, but it's a great way to reinforce early multiplication skills. Besides the variety of levels of play and difficulty, the best feature of the app is the way the multiplication problems are represented. After the first few games, the multiplication problems are presented in two different forms, i.e. a product and an array, a product and a multiplication fact, or an array and a multiplication fact. See the picture below. The game becomes more challenging as the student moves through the levels. Additionally, with the full package, students can customize their bird's colors and increase the forms of multiplication included. 

This image shows the representations used to  represent the multiplication problems. 

Disadvantages: The biggest disadvantage is the lack of learning tutorials when students make a mistake. With the free version, when a mistake is made, the bird get pushed down and the representations switch places to allow the student a second try. If the student continues to respond incorrectly, the game flashes the word "More" above the larger quantity. 

Cost: The free version appears to include several levels of play, or islands, for the pre-multiplication, basic multiplication, and advanced multiplication levels of the game. Additional levels of play, or islands, range from $2.99 to $3.99. A full package is available for $6.99.   

Check out the app here!