Parents' Guide to

Brainzy Math and Reading Program

By Mieke VanderBorght, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 5+

Basic early reading, math spiced up for good fun.

Website https://www.education.com/games/play#login
Brainzy Math and Reading Program Poster Image

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What you will—and won't—find in this website.

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age 4+

Based on 3 parent reviews

MommyMe4
MommyMe4 Adult
March 16, 2021
age 5+

I love how easy it is for me to understand the progress quickly

I think that this should be used in addition to other curriculum but having said that I absolutely adore brainzy and wish it was offered separate from education.com because that is the only reason I purchase a membership every year is to access Brainzy. Highly recommend. I could see average per level and how many stars per exercise. To me that is helpful I can easily check the curriculum being taught and the amount of mastery each child has. I do not allow my children to go on to the next level unless every exercise has all 3 stars. Cannot praise it enough! only draw back is I have to buy an education.com membership...
dtagg
dtagg Adult
August 20, 2020
age 3+

Misleading. It's a scam.

The website offers a a year membership at a better price, but there is not a years worth of material, no advancement upon what you have learned they are just stuck with the same material to review over and over again. The free trial only provides the fun games for the younger kids but as they get older the "games" are more like timed tests, my kids hate it. If you want to ask a question or make sure you are renewed after your contract is up they make impossible to find. There is no accessible home page, once you are signed in you can't get to anything for the parents. They are running a scam.
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What’s It About?

BRAINZY attempts to teach math and English concepts in a new way. Users create a profile, choose an avatar, and watch a short how-to video. Then, they choose pre-K, K, or 1st grade math or reading to enter the activity world. Once there, they pick one of the topics (sight words, silent E, counting, addition) to begin a topic set. Each set includes an introductory video and/or song, has several interactive games, and wraps things up with a read-along storybook. Reading sets also have comprehension quizzes. When done, kids can continue to a different set or play again to improve their performance.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (3):
Kids say: Not yet rated

Brainzy is a nice collection of activities that address very typical early-learning themes. The learning content isn't unique, but the presentation, quality, and range of topics are good (albeit better for the K and 1st grade than for pre-K). The games, songs, videos, and stories are creative and have a high production value that's bound to capture and hold kids' attention. Kids also get a nice package of different ways to interact with the learning material, which makes it accessible to kids with a range of learning styles and strengths. Activities are best for practice, and kids get feedback through trial and error.

In the free version, kids can browse through learning topics and choose single games to play. Without the extras or the assessment feedback, kids can still get simple but fun practice with common early learning topics -- as well as ads encouraging a purchase of the premium version. It would be nice to be able to suggest games or give kids more guidance on the topics they explore. Overall, Brainzy is an engaging way to introduce kids to math and English, because while they play, they're learning key concepts that will serve them for the rest of their lives.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about why it's fun -- and important -- to learn letters and numbers. Can you think of ways to make these topics exciting to or engaging for people who don't like math or English?

  • Point out math concepts in everyday life, such as patterns, counting, numbers, shapes, and more. Do you look at math concepts differently when you can see them in everyday life?

  • incorporate language, reading, and writing in multiple forms: Read lots of books together, sing songs, and point out the letters all around us.

Website Details

  • Subjects: Language & Reading: letter or word recognition, phonics, reading, Math: addition, counting, shapes, subtraction
  • Skills: Self-Direction: academic development
  • Genre: Educational
  • Pricing structure: Free to try, Paid, Free (Limited content available for free, premium membership offers more content, progress reports, and up to three user profiles for $3.99/month.)
  • Last updated: May 27, 2021

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