Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.
When you’re learning your math facts, it takes a lot of repetition and review. Since my daughter Sydney is working on subtracting, I was thrilled for the opportunity to review the digital Subtraction Starter Kit from Page a Day Math.
What Is This Product?
I received a digital download of this product. When I unzipped the file, there were 13 different subtraction books for me to print. There were also some fun bonus material. Here’s a quick peek at the unzipped file contents.
This product is also available in a physical kit. You wouldn’t have to print the pages off that you need if you go that route.
The Subtraction Flashcards
One of the bonuses was a set of subtraction flashcards. These were designed really well, as you didn’t have to print them front to back. You simply printed them, cut along the lines, and folded. Then, you secured them with a little bit of glue to make them more sturdy.
If I would have had cardstock, I would have printed these on there. I think they would have held up much better. But, they were a good way to practice subtraction facts.
One downside of the subtraction cards is that they definitely looked more appealing on my computer screen then they did after I printed them out. Since we don’t have a color printer, a lot of the “cute” factor is always missing from colorful pages. Here’s a screenshot of the colorful ones, and a picture of some that we printed and assembled.
The Math Squad
There are five cute dogs that appear throughout each of the books. They are:
- Mo
- Zo
- Bo
- Jo
- Flo
The dogs each have a unique personality, and a job that requires math. In the squad is a rocket scientist, a doctor, an engineer, a mechanic, and a designer. These were a fun reminder that math is an important subject, and one that will literally be used throughout life. My daughter thought they were cute, even though we printed them in black and white and not the fun colors they were in.
The Pages
Each day, there is a quick front and back worksheet for your child to do. These help to introduce new math facts and review old ones. For the subtraction book, they really helped to provide scaffolding by having students trace the problems. This way, students weren’t trying to remember how to write numbers at the same time as remembering what the facts were. While my daughter is older than this product’s recommended age, she didn’t necessarily need that support, but it would be highly appropriate for a younger child.
Most weeks, I didn’t take the time to print the worksheets front and back. I have a hard time doing that in our printer, and typically mess it up. So for me, it’s easier just to hand her two worksheets (a front and a back). Then she can use the blank backs as scrap paper for her other math program.
The above picture shows a completed front, and a not completed back. That way you can see the tracing prompts that are there, and get a sense for how many problems are on each page.
How Did We Use This Product?
I had my daughter complete one worksheet (the front and back) four days a week. She used this to supplement her regular math curriculum. It really helped her to memorize her subtraction facts.
After she completed her worksheet, I quickly graded it to help her correct and practice any problems she missed.
We also used the flashcards a few times. We often played games with them. I’d hide some around the room and have her find them. (Make sure you hide them answer side down!) Before she could touch it, she had to call out the math sentence and solve it. So she might say, “3-1=2” and then she could flip the card and check before finding another one.
What Did We Think of This Product?
My daughter thought this was “easy” math, so she didn’t have any push back to doing it. She worked quickly, trying to see how fast she could get it done each day.
Her subtraction facts have definitely improved since she started using this product, so I’d definitely recommend it.
The only thing I didn’t like was how colorful it was. If you have a black and white printer, I think I’d recommend getting the physical version instead of the digital one.
