Math Doodles

This is a beautifully illustrated app—but it’s not an art app, or even an illustrated story. Math Doodles is a brilliantly executed and educational math app.

The designer has transformed the way kids think about numbers and equations, with interesting sketches that prove math comes in all forms. The app isn’t as intuitive as it could be, so expect to provide some explanations about the aim of each game. Once kids grasp the game, though, they’ll be able to play independently for hours. In “Unknown Square,” the app focuses on addition and subtraction in an easy equation format, which introduces elementary students to the concept that a letter can represent a number. And in “Connect Sums,” children will learn that calculations can go in any direction.

But one of the most fun segments is the one that isn’t even finished yet. The sneak-peek fly-swat app is an entertaining way to tell time. Children must think of the clock in segments, and identify how many segments the hand—a.k.a. fly swat—should move in order to splat the fly. This game not only focuses on time, but emphasizes the clockwise direction so it becomes second nature.