Common Sense Media Review
By Dana Anderson , based on child development research. How do we rate?
age 12+
Info and games designed to boost math's fun factor.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 12+?
Any Positive Content?
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Products & Purchases
a lot
The site has a lot of ads; in a "why we have ads" section the site's author asks visitors not to block ads. The site's author also sells her math books on the site.
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Positive Messages
some
Math can be fun and easy to understand with good instruction and practice.
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Educational Value
some
Kids can learn math principles ranging from addition to calculus. Site sections feature geometry term definitions, graphing concepts, and other instruction. Each page contains a lot of elements, which can make navigation confusing; the ultra-bright color palette doesn’t help. CoolMath does a great job of clearly illustrating concepts using casual, conversational language -- answers are given with phrases like, “No way, dude!” -- and offers plenty of math problems to help kids practice their new number skills. Math games and more teach kids basic math concepts and application.
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Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Coolmath.com is a one-stop math shop for middle and high school students, and also has a helpful section for parents and teachers. There are a lot of ads, but other than that, it's a suitable place for kids to learn math and play educational games.
Parent and Kid Reviews
See all
- Parents say (29)
- Kids say (87)
age 8+
Based on 29 parent reviews
Fartingalltheway Parent of 10-year-old
October 20, 2022
age 2+
Why I gave it 3 stars.
I gave it three stars because of the ads. My son plays cool math games, and we have really good internet, so it shouldn't lag so much, but for some reason, it does. I don't mind a little lag, but every time a new ad appears it almost freezes my son's computer.
Hidy Parent of 10-year-old
October 21, 2022
age 10+
Why the ads?
They don't care how bad their site is laggy they just care about the money they make off the ads that play on their site.
Rate website
See all 29 parent reviews
Privacy Rating Warning
Privacy Rating
Our expert evaluators create our privacy ratings. The ratings are designed to help you understand how apps use your data for commercial purposes.
Pass
Meets our minimum requirements for privacy and security practices.
Warning
Does not meet our recommendations for privacy and security practices.
Fail
Does not have a privacy policy and should not be used.
Privacy Rating
Our expert evaluators create our privacy ratings. The ratings are designed to help you understand how apps use your data for commercial purposes.
Pass
Meets our minimum requirements for privacy and security practices.
Warning
Does not meet our recommendations for privacy and security practices.
Fail
Does not have a privacy policy and should not be used.
- Personal information is sold or rented to third parties.
- Personal information is shared for third-party marketing.
- Personalised advertising is displayed.
- Data are collected by third-parties for their own purposes.
- User's information is used to track and target advertisem*nts on other third-party websites or services.
- Data profiles are created and used for personalised advertisem*nts.
What’s It About?
Launched by a math teacher in 1997, COOLMATH offers info on addition, geometry, and other math concepts for grade-school- to high-school-aged kids. They can check out algebraic property definitions, learn multiplication tricks, or test out the online graphing calculator; separate sections also offer parents and teachers math-related activities and advice. The site also links to several other sites, including a math site for younger kids, coolmath4kids.com, and sites about teen stress management and other topics.
Is It Any Good?
Our review:
Parents say (29):
Kids say (87):
Since 1997, math teacher "Coolmath Karen" has run this award-winning site to spark kids' interest in all things math. The online math dictionary and calculators alone are enough to teach most basic math concepts, including algebra and geometry. In addition to the main sections for math practice, games, a math dictionary, and lesson help, there are also sections for parents (how to help with math homework: crying isn't a good sign) and teachers (tricks for getting kids motivated in the classroom). It also links to a companion site for younger kids (coolmath4kids.com) and other teen-related sites (totallystressedout.com and FinanceFreak.com). If you're a mathphobe or love to play math games or are just stuck on a new math concept in school, you should add COOLMATH.COM as one of your bookmarks.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why this math clearinghouse is so popular. What elements does it have that make math fun and understandable?
Coolmath.com's creator writes in detail about why the site contains a lot of ads. Families can talk about what they think of ads being on an educational site. Our parent tips on selling to kids will give you some talking points.
Website Details
- Subjects: : following directions, reading, Math: algebra, arithmetic, geometry
- Skills: : applying information, problem solving, Self-Direction: academic development, personal growth
- Genre: Educational
- Pricing structure: Free (It's $5.99 per month to go ad-free on the linked games site.)
- Last updated: May 27, 2020
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Coolmath
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