Last year my boys were very excited when I introduced them to Dreambox as part of a review of their excellent online K-2 math program.
I was impressed with how the program evaluated both boys such that their adventures were tailored to their ability level. At the time, my youngest son was still in preschool, so having him do a Kindergarten math program had the potential to be a stretch, but Dreambox accurately assessed his knowledge and instructed him accordingly.
Meanwhile, my then-second-grader was assessed at a higher level. He is gifted in math, so immediately went to some of the more advanced concepts. Although both boys were playing the same game, Dreambox individualized the lessons so they were at the appropriate level for each.
My boys loved Dreambox, so I paid for a subscription for several months after my free-for-review trial had ended.
Although my oldest son enjoyed the game, I could tell that towards the end of his second-grade year he wasn't really challenged by it. Since I wanted to give him access to more advanced concepts, I enrolled him in a free trial of another online math program that went into more challenging material.
The very first day my son sulked. This was work. This wasn't fun. He hated the other math program. In fact, he wrote me an apology letter, saying he just couldn't endure it. (Hmm, at least he worked on his verbal skills!)
At that time, I sighed "Oh, how I wish Dreambox had a program for third-grade!"
Well, apparently my wish is their command. Dreambox just launched their K-3 program!
Of course I told Dreambox I wanted to give it a shot. They generously gave us a subscription to try it out.
Well, I should have recorded my boys' reaction when I told them they could play Dreambox again - and more specifically, that they had third-grade material to challenge my older son. Their smiles, whoops and hollers say it all - Dreambox really is a "dream!"
They immediately logged on and were thrilled that their account icons and picture passwords were still intact. In my younger son's case, he was thrilled that the material that was tricky for him while he was in preschool is now right up his alley in kindergarten. And my older son laughed with glee when he saw that third-grade concepts were now incorporated into the game.
What is so terrific about Dreambox is that it is essentially an adventure game that just happens to teach math. It doesn't feel like school. Instead, it feels like recreation. While my older son disliked the other online math program, seeing it as homework and a burden, he actually begs to play Dreambox. If I say, "No computer games!" my boys know they can ask, "But if we play Dreambox, then can we use our computers?" that I'll agree.
I hope that Dreambox continues to add content for subsequent grades - and am very excited that the third-grade content is now available!
If you haven't already, please check out Dreambox. You can sign up for a free trial and see if your kids have as much fun learning math as my boys do. Also check out my review of the K-2 program from last year, as it gives more detail about how parent progress reports work.
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Disclaimer: Dreambox gave me a free subscription for both boys so they could test out the K-3 program. They knew I had posted a favorable review in the past, and knew I would spread the word about the K-3 program and post about it. The words above are my own. Thank you Dreambox!
