77 Free Math Resources and Online Tools for Students and Teachers

77 Free Math Resources and Online Tools for Students and Teachers
By Dr. Jed Macosko and Dr. James Barham
Published:
Updated:

Get help with your math studies at any level of education. Check out these free online tools for math students in K-12, college, grad school and beyond.

Key Takeaways

  • Math skills are a critical part of education at every level from kindergarten through higher education. There are numerous online resources designed to help students at each of these levels with essential math skills.
  • Math resources listed here include free games, test prep programs, instructional videos, and much more.
  • Some math resources even offer direct access to communities of learners, math tutors, and experts in math and other STEM subjects.

Basic math skills are critical to your survival at every grade level. From kindergarten students to middle school students, from high schoolers to college students, students of all ages can use a little help with their basic math skills.

Fortunately, there are countless math websites, math resources, and math-based educational videos that are available to you completely for free. From math games, math test prep and math videos to comprehensive math centers and learning centers, you can master key mathematical concepts on your own time.

Featured Programs

Learn Mathematics Using Widely Available Resources

Mathematics is considered one of the most difficult subjects for many students. One study showed that 82% of US students between grades 7 and 10 are struggling with math. While math confidence is a constant issue in the US, the pandemic amplified the problem, thus increasing the fear and loss of interest among students.

To bridge the gap, there are many math resources that provide guided math curriculum and exercise for learners. But why do many students struggle with math? Take a look at some of the most common reasons:

Reasons Why Students Grapple with Math

Attention Difficulties: One of the main reasons why math is challenging for so many students is because math requires multi-step solutions. Student have to perform different consecutive steps to find a solution.

Doing so requires an active focus on the math problem at hand. Many students struggle with losing focus and an inability to free themselves from distractions when trying to solve math problems.

Because of the lack of attention, students can potentially miss crucial steps in the problem-solving process. This becomes an especially acute issue when trying to solve problems on their own.

Math Builds Upon Previous Theories. Mathematics experts agree on one thing—that math is built on sequential learning. If one student fails to understand the concept of the previous lesson, chances are, he/she will continue to struggle when newer theories are introduced. To minimize fractions, for example, students have to master division first.

To perform algebra, a student has to be comfortable with multi-step arithmetic, and so on. Sadly, most students struggling with math are embarrassed and uncomfortable to ask questions in class, especially when the teacher has already moved on to the next lesson.

Think of math concepts as building blocks. The foundational layer has to laid before moving on to the next layer (or math concept, as it were). Without the foundation, students will continue to struggle.

Students Learn the Concepts but Lack Understanding. Some students don’t have a hard time executing an operation through repetition. However, not everybody understands the meaning behind it. For instance, students may know that “6x6=36”, simply because they memorized it, and not because they completely understand how multiplication works.

Because of this, many students learn so much from visual presentations, like using small objects (coins, marbles) when learning their multiplication and division. The truth is, students learn differently; and it can be challenging to encompass each student’s unique learning style. That is where individualized learning from different math resources helps.

Impatience and Lack of Practice: There is no secret to succeeding in math. It simply requires practice. A lot of students, unfortunately, do not dedicate enough time to practicing math concepts. There are times when students completely understand a concept, but when a math problem is given, they seem to be at a loss on how or where to begin.

Others are overly confident just by looking at their teachers explain math lessons, only to realize that independently solving math problems tends to be more challenging. There isn’t a single easy or quick solution to mastering math—it requires patience and a lot of practice.

“When Will I Ever Use Math?“: This is a very classic line every math teacher hears. But this line also signifies how students look at math as something they can never use outside of a classroom. Simply put, students cannot connect math to reality, nor do they see any relevance as to how they can use it in their daily lives.

For example, a student struggling with fractions may also have a hard time understanding how to convert ½ fraction to decimal. Conversely, the same student will not have any issue that “half a dollar” is the same as 50 cents. See the disparity? This is what students often experience when they struggle with math.

Want to strengthen math skills and earn an extremely valuable degree? Find out what you can do with a degree in math.

For math games, practice tests, and other math websites, check out these 77 free math resources for students.

Standardized Math Test Help

These math websites can help prepare for standardized exams.

State Math Exam Prep

Most states or regions have their own standardized math exams. Get help preparing in these states.

Math Skill Assessment

Get a free and accurate assessment of math skills for students of all ages and grade levels.

  • Prepare for Accuplacer – Evaluate students’ skills in math, writing, and other subjects college course placement.

Game Based Math Resources

Find math games that recognize and optimize the various ways that play and rewards motivate children and improve learning outcomes.

  • Math Score Improvement Software – Improve exam scores with interactive games focused on the ISEE, SSAT, ACT, or SAT.
  • Math Learning Center – The Math Learning Center is a veritable math playground, with a multitude of fun game resources for kids and educators, including app-based activities, cool math puzzles, and other fun activities for kids.
  • Math Blaster–Math Blaster is a game first introduced in 1983, and is the ultimate play based math learning for parents and kids.
  • Math is Fun – A fun resource with math lingo and math facts kids, grades pre k and up.
  • Math Fortress – Fun videos and interactive games let kids and their parents use play to strengthen skills in linear algebra, calculus, algebra, and more.

Support Resources

These support resources are great for parents, kids and teachers at all ages from, pre k and up.

Online Math Tutoring

Check out these free resources for math tutoring below.

Free Math Classroom Sites

Check out free online math classes, pre-taped lectures, and interactive online experiences.

COVID-19 Math Resources

In the wake of the pandemic, more students than ever before are playing catch-up or making the adjustment to online learning. Check out these math resources aimed at addressing some of the math learning challenges created by COVID-19.

  • Continuing Education During Covid – With 1:1 mentoring, community support, and even events beyond the classroom, CovEd is a peer tutoring platform that helps guide kids through at-home learning.
  • Free Educational Tutoring – Resources from Pandemic Professors are available in both Spanish and English, with tools available such as coding classes, mental health advocacy resources, K-12 tutoring, and more.

Math Resources for At-Risk Populations

Many marginalized or at-risk groups face challenges accessing quality math education or seizing opportunities in the STEM fields. These resources are aimed at helping various groups gain access and achieve excellence.

  • Free One-on-One Online Tutoring – Learn to Be offers free 1:1 online tutoring to kids with underserved communities.
  • Florida Literacy Coalition – Helpful YouTube videos covering lesson plans typically included on the GED.
  • Dyscalculia.org – Dyscalculia is a learning disability that makes it difficult to learn and understand arithmetic. These resources can help students with dyscalcluia master mathematics.
  • Math Alliance – An active group of graduate students, teachers, and faculty members, this organization works to build a diverse, inclusive community in the field of mathematics.
  • Mathematical Sciences Institutes Diversity Initiative (MSIDI) – Funded by the National Science Foundation, the Mathematical Sciences Institutes Diversity Initiative is a collaboration among the various institutes to increase the participation of underrepresented groups in mathematics.
  • American Indian Science and Engineering Society – A nonprofit organization, the American Indian Science and Engineering Society focuses on increasing the representation of indigenous peoples in STEM disciplines.
  • Center for Minorities and People with Disabilities in IT – This organization offers professional development, educational resources, and community enrichment activities for unrepresented individuals and young learners in information technology disciplines.

Tools for Basic Math Skills

Here are some more resources to give you the help you need in mathematics.

  • Free Online Graphing Calculator – A free online graphing calculator.
  • Examples for Mathematics – Lesson plans on WolframAlpha, including elementary math, geometry, algebra, and many others.
  • iMathematics Pro – This app can help you solve math problems and prepare for upcoming mathematics exams.
  • MyScript Calculator – Another app to try is MyScript Calculator, which can serve as a stand-in for other calculator apps.
  • Simple Talking Calculator – A full-screen calculator with all the basic math functions you need, regardless of grade level.
  • Virtual Manipulatives – The National Library of Virtual Manipulatives is a helpful digital resource with tools for algebra, geometry, measurement, and more.

Advanced Math Tools

Math students in high-level courses and programs can benefit from resources focused on challenging areas like advanced algebra and calculus.

  • Online Calculus Tools – This website has a list of resources that can make the challenging subject of calculus just a little easier.
  • Calculus.org – A list of additional support sites for Calculus students.
  • Simulations – Interactive activities, simulations, and other math topics including Area Model Algebra, a Calculus Grapher, and more.

Valuable Research About Math

Read these scholarly studies in areas like math instruction, equity in access to quality math education, and the impact of math anxiety on a variety of student demographics

Multimedia Math Resources

See the innovative ways some math resources are using puzzles, play, games and video to take math learning into a multimedia setting.

  • Virtual Nerd: Middle Grades through Algebra 2 – With more than 1,500 different interactive video lessons, this resource is ideal to guide students in math, from grade 6 all the way through Algebra 2.
  • Photomath – Not sure how to answer a problem? Just take a picture of it! Photomath can help.
  • Meet a Mathematician – At this link, you’ll find a collection of video interviews with mathematicians.
  • Math Equity Toolkit –A complete toolkit on equity in mathematics educatione.

Tips for Managing Math Anxiety

Resources to help teachers, parents and students manage math anxiety.

Adult Math Skills

Here are some top resources for learning maths as an adult student.

Math Knowledge and Equity

These resources help make math education more equitable - regardless of race, gender, location, socioeconomic status, and other factors.

BIPOC Math Organizations

Consider joining one of these organizations for BIPOC students majoring in mathematics disciplines.

More Math Resources

For more, visit our math headquarters, a full section dedicated to finding top colleges and universities for mathematics degrees, and more.

For study starters, influential books, and much more, check out our full collection of study guides.

Or get tips on studying, student life, and much more with a look at our Student Resources.

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