An app targeted at parents and professionals who wish to help children aged two to five years old to develop their mathematical knowledge through fun activities.
Maths@Home app is designed to give adults ideas of various activities that will support the child’s mathematical development using resources easily available in and around the home.
Its design was based on the latest research on mathematical development in children and personalised learning, whilst considering feedback from parents and practitioners.
The activities are informed by the English national curriculum and Early Years Foundation Stage framework.
Project timeline: October 2020 - July 2024.
Features and benefits
Fun games that can be implemented in daily life without any fuss
The Maths@home games are play-based activities that can be implemented in a child’s daily routine. They are designed to encourage off-screen engagement between family members/teaching staff and children, using resources easily accessible in the home.
There are games to play for when being out and about with a child, being in the bath or swimming pool, when preparing food, preparing for bedtime or just hanging out in the home or classroom. The games are informal and promote mathematical development without the need for any worksheets.
Promoting development and transferability of learning
Mathematical abilities include a wide range of concepts and knowledge that children need to acquire, including number name knowledge, digit knowledge, number sequence knowledge, number sense understanding, shape, money, etc.
The maths@home app includes activities that have been carefully created to support the development of these areas and mathematical concepts and supports how this knowledge can be applied in daily life. The fact that children can choose which activity to play will build their confidence and enjoyment for maths.
Evidenced-based games based on latest research in mathematical development
The games are based on recent research in mathematical development, including our own research that has shown that the interactive games improve mathematical outcomes for children who are at risk for mathematical learning difficulties (Van Herwegen et al., 2018).
Scaffolding learning at appropriate developmental level
The learning goals of the Maths@home games have been carefully planned and developed in line with the latest research on mathematical development and the English national curriculum. Thus, there is a structured and systematic progression through the levels of the games tackling different domains of mathematics.
Team
Researchers
The Maths@home games were developed by a team of academic researchers from the Child Development and Learning Difficulties Lab:
- Professor Jo Van Herwegen (Principal Investigator)
- Dr Laura Outhwaite (Co-Investigator)
- Erica Ranzato (Researcher/ PhD student)
Advisory panel
The Maths@home advisory panel consists of experts in mathematical development, education technology, learning strategies and inclusion as well as parents and teachers. The board has provided valuable input and feedback at various points during the project.
- Dr Helen Thouless
- Professor Manolis Mavrikis
- Professor Amelia Roberts
Collaborations
- Mark Pearce at the Workshop
- Thomas Buchi (Business Consultant)
- ISD Research IT Services: Raquel Alegre and Dr Peter Schmidt
- Professor Dean Mohamedally
History of the app
The Maths@home games were first developed during the first COVID 19 lockdown in the UK in March 2020.
During this difficult time many parents had to homeschool their children and thus the team posted on a weekly basis a short description of a new mathematical game on social media. The feedback from parents was very positive but parents could not store the games very easily or access them again at a later time. This led to the development of the Maths@home games as an app.
The app was co-produced with feedback from various focus groups, so that parents and teachers informed the design and features of the app as well as the nature and structure of the games.
Further information
- Math@Home privacy notice
Maths@Home is committed to protecting the privacy of its users. This Privacy Policy Notice outlines the types of information we collect from users of our app, how we use that information, and the measures we take to safeguard it.
Information we collect
- Personal Information: When you sign up for Maths@Home, we may collect personal information such as your name, email address, and other details necessary for account creation.
- Usage Information: We collect information about how you interact with our app, including your browsing activities, the content you access, and your interactions with features within the app.
- Device Information: We may collect certain information about your device, such as the device type, operating system, and unique device identifiers, to ensure optimal app performance and to personalize your experience.
- Location Information: With your consent, we may collect your precise or approximate location information to provide location-based services within the app.
How we use your information
- Personalization: We use the information collected to help us improve Maths@Home app in the future based on your preferences and usage patterns.
- Communication: We may use your contact information to communicate with you about your account, updates to our app, promotional offers, or important notices.
- Analytics: We analyze user data to improve our app's functionality, performance, and user experience. This may include analyzing usage trends, identifying areas for improvement, and troubleshooting technical issues.
- Legal Compliance: We may use your information to comply with applicable laws, regulations, or legal processes, or to respond to lawful requests from governmental authorities.
Data Security
We take the security of your information seriously and implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect it against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction.
Third-Party Services
We may use third-party services and tools to help us operate our app and deliver certain features or functionalities. These third parties may have access to your information only to perform tasks on our behalf and are obligated not to disclose or use it for any other purpose.
Children's Privacy
Maths@Home is intended for adults. However, we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13 without verifiable parental consent. If you believe that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under 13 without proper consent, please contact us immediately, and we will take appropriate steps to remove such information from our systems.
Changes to this Privacy Policy
We reserve the right to update or modify this Privacy Policy Notice at any time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the revised policy on our website or within the app. Your continued use of Maths@Home following the posting of changes constitutes your acceptance of such changes.
Contact Us
If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy Notice or our data practices, please contact us at mathsathome@ucl.ac.uk.
Effective Date: 30th of March 2024
Thank you for using Maths@Home.
- How to delete your Maths@Home account
You can delete your account by following these steps:
- Log in to the Maths@Home app with the account you wish to delete.
- Click the top left icon to access the Account Information page.
- Click on Delete Account, then enter your password and confirm by clicking Delete.
- You will be redirected to the Log In page once the deletion is complete.
Alternatively, you can request account deletion by sending an email from the address associated with your Maths@Home account. Send your request to MathsAtHome@ucl.ac.uk with 'Account Deletion Request' as the subject line.
After your account has been deleted, you may sign up again with the same email address.