Disclosure: I received a CTC Math Membership for free and was compensated for my time. All my opinions about this product are honest and I was not required to post a positive review.

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Is an online math program right for your PK1 kid?

I never would have thought of using an online math curriculum for my 6 year old…

I’m more of a worksheets and manipulatives kind of a gal. But when we were gifted the opportunity to try out a CTC Math membership, I was beyond curious to see how my daughter would respond.

One of the main reasons why I created my website was because I was fascinated by learning how children learn and how to create materials that could tap into that process and facilitate the best retention of knowledge. So I at least wanted the opportunity to observe how my daughter would respond to learning via a computer so I could analyze the results. Yes, I got a little nerdy with it.

Honestly, I thought we wouldn’t like using the CTC Math online math program for my daughter’s homeschool math curriculum. I thought using the computer would be too hard for her. I thought the Australian accent of the teachings would confuse her. I thought she would get bored after a few lessons.

I was totally wrong.

Instead, she gained a ridiculous amount of confidence through learning to use the keyboard and mouse and how to navigate the site. She never even commented on the Australian accent.  And she never, ever got bored. In fact, she always asked for more.

Online Math Program for Kindergarten

The CTC Math curriculum always kept my daughter excited about math!

So after using CTC Math over the summer, my opinion about using an online math curriculum for younger learners has completely changed. If you’re interested in trying out a computer based math program for your kindergarten or first grade student, I highly recommend CTC Math. Here’s why:

 

(My review of CTC Math is through the lens of using this program for younger learners. There are many other wonderful benefits for older students, so if you have children in grades 2 and higher, I recommend hopping over to  PatAndCandy.com to read their review and learn even more benefits of  CTC Math.)

 

Click this link to get a FREE TRIAL of a CTC Math Membership

CTC Math: An Online Math Curriculum For Grades K-12


CTC Math is a subscription based online math program for school aged children. The program can be used for an individual child, or for an entire family. Well explained video tutorials guide students through specific lessons and are followed by corresponding interactive questions. CTC Math includes a parent site that allows the parent to easily plan lessons and view progress for each child.

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My daughter loved the change from worksheets to online math videos.

 

My Top 10 Reasons To Try CTC Math Online Curriculum For PK1 Kids:


#1:  A customized program just for them.

I loved the sense of ownership and responsibility that my daughter felt when using CTC Math. She received her own username and got to choose her top secret password that she used every time she logged in to her personalized profile. She even got to choose a red color scheme that matched her favorite princess (Snow White.) This really made her feel special and she was always so excited when she “got to do her computer math.”

#2:  A new way to learn math.

PK1 kids are used to the typical numbers songs, cartoon lessons and worksheets, but they rarely get to use the computer and try the keyboard and mouse themselves. While I’m all about limiting screen time for younger kids, I’m also an advocate of teaching a subject in multiple ways using multiple mediums. Quite honestly, I was shocked by my daughter’s response to learning with online math videos. I always think it’s helpful for her to occasionally receive some instruction from someone other than her mother. The additional medium really strengthened her comprehension, and the math video tutorials were so thorough and easy to understand that they rarely needed supplemental explanation from mom.

CTC Math Videos

Being allowed to use the computer is a big deal for my daughter – something that made CTC Math even more fun.

#3:  A serious help for the lesson planning momma.

Hands down one of the very best things about CTC Math is the parent lesson planning side of things. Whether you like to plan your weeks and months at a time, or hurriedly plan for the following day, the task creation side of things is a major help. You can choose individual lessons for your child as homework assignments along with their due dates. Your child sees the assignment they need to work on when they log in. If you wanted, you could schedule out an entire year’s worth of lessons and then sit back and let your kiddo sail through their math work.

 

online math lesson planning

I just loved the lesson planning side of things – it makes it so easy to set up what YOU the parent would like your child to study. Hello flexibility 🙂

#4:  A complete freedom from grade requirements.

Another extremely valuable benefit to this online math curriculum is the freedom to choose lessons for various grade levels in various topics. Your first grader can be assigned addition lessons from kindergarten math, measurements lessons from second grade, and geometry from first grade. The flexibility that this provides is an unbeatable feature of this program.

#5:  A soft introduction to computer skills.

After some coaching, young learners can sit in the driver’s seat and practice typing and using a mouse, building a valuable foundation for solid computer skills as they mature. The website worked wonderfully with my touchscreen laptop as well –  that combination with the keyboard and mouse really built confidence in my first grader.

Here's a tip for beginning computer leaners - Place a sticker on the left mouse button. This will help them remember to click the left button instead of the right. Seems like a no-brainer to us, but kids have no idea when they're just starting out!

Here’s a tip for beginning computer learners – Place a sticker on the left mouse button. This will help them remember to click the left button instead of the right – trust me, they’ll need the help when they first get started.

#6:  A positive and encouraging reinforcement system.

There’s nothing that lights up my daughter’s face like earning an award and CTC Math delivers big in this area. Printing out the awards that she earned and keeping them in a special binder was a huge motivation for my first grader – and that made math a fun subject she was always looking forward to, instead of something she dreads.

Math Programs For Kids

I just love it when my child’s face “beams!” CTC Math does a great job of motivating students through accomplishments.

#7:  A simple and easy approach to additional practice and mediums.

Each lesson includes a sample page that illustrates the types of questions that go with the lesson and their answers. This is a great tool when choosing what lessons are right for your child’s next task and for your child to keep as a reference. I also liked printing them out and having them on hand for a different use. The lesson questions did a great job of really helping my daughter grasp the concepts, but I like to pair hands on activities and practice with computer learning.  I was able to use the sample sheets to help me create additional practice questions on the fly, or to  round up manipulatives to teach the concept with an additional medium. I just love the flexibility of this math program!

#8:  A little extra fun thrown in there.

My dad always says that there are some things that can be best taught by a computer. When it comes to math fact memorization, he may be right. There are a few math games within the CTC Math program including a Speed Skills game. The first 2 levels include addition and subtraction facts that are appropriate for first graders. My daughter just loves computer games, so this was a definite plus for her.

CTC Math Online Math Videos and Math Worksheets

She’s so intense when it comes to the games! Online math games beat flash cards any day in my opinion.

#9:  A testing system we can cheer for.

Homeschooling families have varying views and goals for testing, which is why we loved how CTC Math has set up their tests. It’s completely at the parent’s discretion and extremely flexible. You can assign tests for specific lessons whenever you want to use them – or omit them completely. My daughter and I had fun using the testing system. What can I say? I just loved her beaming, giant smile as she showed me her 100% score.

#10:  A complete math program.

Lastly, one of my favorite things about this online math curriculum is how thorough and specific its lessons are. It is very easy to fill in any holes left by other math curriculum you’ve used in the past, and to piece together subjects that you feel your child could use some extra help with. If you introduce a concept that is a bit challenging for your child, you can include some easier subjects along with that day’s task to boost their confidence.

CTC Math Online Math Curriculum

Overall I was totally shocked at how much my daughter loved CTC Math. I highly recommend at least trying out a free trial to see if it’s as great a fit for your family as it was for mine.

The CTC Math membership is definitely a great fit for younger learners and I really do think it would be an excellent choice for any homeschool family for grades K-12.  If you’d like to try it out, CTC Math offers a free trial. And if you’re ready to switch your family’s math curriculum, be sure to use this link for a whopping 60% discount for homeschoolers!

And even better, CTC Math is giving away a 12 month family membership to five winners! Enter below!


Want to connect with CTC Math? Check them out on social media:

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Want an easy way to free up money in your budget for your membership? Check out my post on how to get $20 in free school supplies (even household items) EVERY month!
How To Get 20 Dollars In Free School Supplies EVERY Month
And if you’re looking for fun ways to help you organize curriculum for your beginning self directed learners, try out a free download of my curriculum bookmarks. Laminate and use a wet erase marker to give your little homeschoolers a head start on their school day!
Bookmarks for workboxes