Easy Math for This Summer {LearnBop Review} ~ Such a Time As This

LearnBop Review

As we head into Summer, and to a lighter school schedule, I was so excited to try out a new math subscription service. LearnBop has a great new way to practice math with their LearnBop for Families subscription!

What is LearnBop?

LearnBop is an online math subscription service geared toward children in grades 3 – 12. LearnBop has created a system that is like having a private math tutor in your home. Just choose the grade your child is in (or what grade level they are working on). This is called “Choosing a Roadmap”. They will then ask the student to do a quick “warm up” which is like a short pre-test to check the knowledge and level your child is working on. This step allows them to personalize the content to your child and their needs.

How does it Work?

When you first get started, there are a few questions to fill out in order to sign your child up. The questions include what grade they are in, birthdate, and username (you will assign them). There is then the option to choose the grade level you want them to begin working on or specific subjects they need help in.

After this initial step, you just log-in and choose which child will be working on LearnBop (if you have more than one student using the program). They will then just do the next thing on their roadmap. This includes videos that teach concepts and then practice questions, called “bops”. These questions are direct practice from the concept they just learned. If the student struggles to come up with the answers or has trouble understanding what is being asked (how to begin to solve) there is an “ask for help” function. This walks them through the process to solve, step-by-step, while also giving them a few more practice questions so they can learn it. Learnbop uses a mastery approach to math.

What did We Think?

We received LearnBop for Families (Family Plan) which is meant to be used for 2-4 students. We chose to use this product with two of our kids: B, 5th grade, and C, 3rd. Our younger kids were too young (next in line is about to start Kindergarten) and our oldest son has special needs and works at a younger level (about 2nd-grade math). The kids have enjoyed using this subscription. We are using it as a supplement to our regular math curriculum, but I could see using it in the Summer as our sole curriculum. It would be good to use to make sure my kids keep up with their math skills.

Parent Dashboard

There is a parent “dashboard” where I can access all of my student’s information, password, achievements, level, how much time they’ve spent working, and what concept they are working on at the moment. There is a ton of information available for the parent on this page, as well as the student page: I can see which unit they are on, what concept they are learning, and how well they are doing all on the same screen.

Log-In

I love, love, love the fact that there is one log-in for the family account. They have made it really easy for the parent to log in to the parent dashboard. When I’m ready for them to work, it is super quick to log-in to the student account from the parent portal.

Teaching Style

My third grader has been working on multiplying and dividing and I’m very happy with how fast she is learning new concepts that typically she would struggle with or take much longer learning. The videos speak directly to the student and the mastery approach guarantees that the student will learn the subject before moving on to the next lesson. I think this method of teaching is very effective for her. My son, too, has completed several lessons and “bops” and has done exceedingly well with this program. The only thing that has thrown him off (slightly) is that some of the math is taught using a different system than his usual curriculum. So, in some ways, he’s had to learn a different way of solving some division problems which was a little confusing for him. We haven’t run into that yet with my 3rd-grade daughter.

Overall, I’m really pleased with this program. It is a fun and highly effective way to learn math skills. There is very little teaching involved from me, although I do tend to sit nearby to make sure the kids are doing ok. However, because of the “help” feature, I probably could have them work completely independently on it. I definitely recommend this product and I think the price is excellent. Although it is marked as $14.95 monthly for a single student or $19.95 for a family of four kids LearnBop also offers a yearly subscription of $149.95 for a single student and only $199.95 for four kids.