According to a recent report released by GL Assessment, 59% of UK educators identified maths anxiety as one of the top obstacles in mathematics education. Maths anxiety often leads to a loss of confidence, diminished interest, and decreased motivation to succeed in the subject — particularly as the curriculum becomes more challenging. That’s why it’s important to instil a sense of fun and curiosity about maths from a young age, sending the message to children that everyone can do well in the subject.
🧒 Making Maths Fun: Exploring a World of Resources
Learning mathematics can be both fun and effective when educators, parents, and students know how to optimise various resources and study tools. It’s important to integrate a range of learning methods and approaches (offline and online), whether in the classroom or at home.
That way, you can cater to different maths concepts and learning styles, as each student may respond to them differently. For example, visual learners may prefer to explore new maths topics through illustrated books, while kinaesthetic learners may benefit more from solving puzzles or engaging with geometric shapes.
There is always a learning resource that fits every student. So let’s review the significance of the following three key resources, regardless of the students’ age group (from the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 onwards), as well as the range of maths topics covered:
✅ Maths Games
- Strong engagement and motivation
- Promotes a growth mindset and the willingness to try new things
- Active learning and teamwork
✅ Maths Apps
- High accessibility and convenience
- Encourages personalised learning according to needs and pace
- Easy to track progress through reports/records
✅ Maths Books
- Great way to visualise abstract ideas
- Relates conceptual understanding through clear elaborations and examples
- Cultivates more self-reflection through revision
🧠 Engaging Maths Games for Kids
Introducing engaging maths games to kids can encourage them to have an active participation and motivation as it turns the whole process into a series of fun challenges. Here are two maths game recommendations to cater to different learning styles and age groups — whether it's a physical board game or an online maths game.
➡️ Maths Board Game: Equate
Equate is a versatile board game that can be played by 2 to 4 players. You can either have an individual battle between 4 players or divide 4 players into groups of two.
It is similar to playing Scrabble, where players will place different numbers and symbols to create a mathematical operation and "solve" the equation. The range of numbers and symbols used depends on the age groups of the players.
For instance, younger kids (below 9 years old) would prefer simple addition or subtraction equations like 4 + 2 = 6, or 7 - 4 = 3
Older kids (above 9 years old) tend to use more multiplication, division and fraction symbols
One player makes: 8 ÷ 2 = 4
Another player adds: 5 × 3 = 15
➡️ Online Maths Game: ICT Games
Educational online games for children have seen a rise in popularity, especially as blended learning becomes more widespread in classrooms and home learning settings. Kids are used to accessing various maths games through one centralised game hub on iPads or laptops, where they can play them anytime and anywhere.
ICT Games is a popular online maths game resource in the UK. Created by an experienced UK educator and tailored to the local maths curriculum, ICT Games helps students master a range of topics with ease through easy-to-follow game instructions. Some of the topics covered include:
Meanwhile, don't forget to check out the rest of the maths game recommendations we've compiled for learners of different age groups in the UK.
✨ Interactive Maths Apps for Kids
Maths apps are gaining traction in both classroom learning and home education worldwide, primarily because they transform the traditional, one-way passive learning process into a more personalised and interactive experience.
Children of different ages can easily engage with different math topics at their own pace using mobile devices, while educators and parents can also track their progress with ease. Here are two interactive and fun maths apps that are widely used in the UK:
➡️ DoodleMaths
First up, we have DoodleMaths, which offers an extensive resources that are aligned to the Reception, Key Stage 1, Key Stage 2, and Key Stage 3 curriculum. From there, the app will come out with a personalised working programme for every student according to their targeted learning topics, strengths and weaknesses and learning level.
Besides attempting interactive practice maths exercises, students can also try out some games in the app to master the fundamental maths topics in a fun way. Over time, this well-rounded approach helps children develop both confidence and fluency in maths. This versatile app is suitable for use in both classroom and home settings.
➡️ Mathletics
Mathletics is an interactive app with well-designed features that support students, educators, and parents in delivering the best maths education experience, from primary to secondary school in the UK. Currently, over 3 million students worldwide use this app to enrich their maths learning journey. Here’s an overview of the features that make Mathletics a standout choice for both educators and students:
For students
- All-new Student Centre dashboard
- Personalised, levelled certificates
- Live maths challenges and games
For parents and educators
- Powerful, data-driven reports
- Time-saving automation and resources
- Updated visuals, challenges and activities
Don't miss out on the full list of our curated maths app recommendations for schooling children in the UK.
🧩 Enriching Maths Books for Kids
Finally, let's talk about one of the most widely used conventional maths learning resources — books. Despite the rise of digital learning and online resources, books remain relevant because they offer a structured and practical approach to learning mathematics. In addition to presenting topical content clearly and systematically, books provide a refreshing, screen-free experience for students who want to dive deeper into complex maths topics without distractions.
Here are two maths book recommendations for students who are preparing for the Standard Assessment Tests (primary school level) and General Certificate of Secondary Education (secondary school level) maths papers:
➡️ Maths No Nonsense 7-8 years
If you have a child or student who is preparing for their Standard Assessment Tests (SAT), this is a good maths revision book to start. This book not only offers step-by-step instructions for various topics but also offers SAT practice questions of different difficulty levels to help students build confidence and proficiency consistently.
➡️ GCSE Maths Edexcel Revision Guide: Foundation inc Online Edition, Videos & Quizzes
Our next maths book recommendation is tailored to students who are sitting for their GCSE Maths papers (Foundation Tier). This book seamlessly integrates both physical and online learning features — every learner can complete practice exercises directly in the book and access online quizzes and video solutions via QR codes. Now, isn’t that the best of both worlds?
For students who plan to sit for the Higher Tier, you can explore the following math revision book suggestions.
Before buying or borrowing a revision book, be sure to check the exam board (AQA, Edexcel, OCR) and tier that you are taking, as the syllabus and subject depth may differ.
🚀 Cultivating A Comprehensive Maths Learning Experience
We hope you find our curated list of maths games, maths apps, and maths book suggestions insightful and useful for a well-rounded and fun math learning experience, whether you're a student, parent, or educator.
It's important to identify the strengths and significances of each learning resource and make mathematics an interactive play journey instead of having a rigid mindset that they are all static numbers and symbols which have no relevance in our everyday life.
Children learn as they play. Most importantly, in play children learn how to learn.
O. Fred Donaldson, Ph.D., play researcher
Educators and parents play a huge role in introducing math concepts in a fun and engaging manner by implementing fun games and activities in the classroom and beyond. Whether it's through hands-on activities or interactive math apps, every learning resource can motivate students to enjoy and excel in this subject.
At Superprof, you can engage with a maths tutor to build a strong foundation in math skills, but also to engage in various fun math activities regardless of your age and learning pace. One of the benefits of private tutoring is that students can have a personalised learning experience without relying on a conventional teaching curriculum or methodology.
Not only that, most Superprof tutors in the UK offer their first lesson for free regardless of the subject you plan to learn. Learners can also review the tutors' profiles and online reviews of the tutors before booking the first lesson. With the right tutoring support alongside the abundance of maths learning resources, you are on the right track to bring your maths skills to the next level!
Key Takeaways: Top Strategies for Making Maths Enjoyable
- The importance of making maths fun through different resources
- Incorporation of maths games in learning
- The benefits of using maths apps
- Making the best of various math books
- Creating a comprehensive maths learning experience
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