Reflex Math

In my previous post on Spelling Apps, I mentioned how much we love Reflex Math, and I still cannot say enough good things about this program. It isn't free. I guess that could be viewed as a drawback, but the truth is that it's worth every single penny, and the people who created it should get to make a living. So, I don't mind paying for it.

Since the very beginning of homeschooling, it's been apparent that Mane is a very different learner. She doesn't memorize math facts or spelling words just by seeing them regularly. She's been doing Saxon math since the 4th grade and was STILL multiplying and dividing very, very slowly at the beginning of this school year (7th grade). She was frustrated that math lessons were taking so long, and I was worried about her ability to be successful in higher mathematics. So, I set out to find a way for her to memorize math facts, aside from using them in her math lessons and without resorting to me quizzing her with flashcards. Knowing that, for Mane, sometimes the trick is just lots and lots of repetition, we tried out XtraMath. It's a free, drill-based program. Practice is timed and takes just a few minutes a day. The program tracks learner progress and gradually moves them through the math facts. However, a year later, Mane had not made a whole lot of progress. Truthfully, she wasn't fond of the program, and she dragged her feet about using it.

This year I heard about Reflex Math and decided to give it a try. They offer a free trial period to test out the program before buying. We liked it enough that we invested $35 for a one year subscription.

Similar to XtraMath, Reflex Math tracks learner progress and moves gradually through the math facts. Unlike XtraMath, however, "fact families" are introduced together so that learners can group or "chunk" their learning to assist and accelerate memorization. Reflex Math uses games for practice following a "lesson" portion of the program (which is also game-like). Learners feel successful from the beginning because the program is designed to give only a certain number of unknown facts mixed in with known facts. Carefully spaced repetition of unknown facts "jogs" the learner's memory as they play the games. Learners choose an avatar when they start the program, and playing games earns them tokens to spend on accessories, clothes, hairstyles, and a number of other things for their avatar. New games are unlocked based on how many days the program has been used. So, a learner does not have to meet a certain number of known facts to play new games. They just have to put in the effort to practice regularly.

What we love about Reflex Math:

• Free Trial Period
• "Fact Family" approach to math facts (Example: 3x4=12, 4x3=12, 12/3=4, 12/4=3)
• Progress Tracking (tracks days/minutes used, individual facts learned, percentage gain, total number of problems solved...)
• Individualized game play (spaced repetition of known & unknown facts based on individual student progress)
• Avatar reward system (use tokens earned through game play to purchase things for your avatar)
• New games unlocked at intervals based on number of days the program is used

The really great news? Mane went from 12% to 85% fluency with multiplication and division facts after 46 days of using the program! That's a gain of 3-4 new facts a day!