Parent Helper

It’s been well documented on this site that I do not have a Math brain. I struggle with numbers, always have. I made it through school, took the minimum required classes in college and thought I was done. Wrong. Now I have children who are learning Math and I get to help them with homework. It can be extremely frustrating to try and teach Math concepts when I struggle with them or can’t even remember how to work it out. I have a middle schooler now so we’re working with Pre-Algebra. She’s using terms I simply can’t recall. It can be a bit like the blind leading the blind around here when it’s homework time so I was excited when I heard about a new app called Parent Helper. It’s got the potential to be an invaluable resource for parents like me who struggle when it comes to helping their children with Math.

Parent Helper will guide you, the parent, through the steps necessary for solving addition, subtraction, multiplication and division problems. It will also provide practice for the different multiplication tables, one through ten. The app has both a “Show” and “Try” mode. You enter in the problem you are trying to work out. “Show” instructs you on how to solve the problem, using a chalkboard and notepaper instructions. “Try” gives you a chance to have a go at it yourself. I suggest going through the app’s tutorial so you can get acquainted with how to navigate and use the app. I dove right in and got a bit lost. A visit to the tutorial cleared some things up.

After going through Parent Helper I have a few suggestions. First is to increase the font size. I especially thought the numbers could be a bit larger. I found it a bit tricky following the written directions when I was in “Show” mode. In order to see all of the notepaper instructions I had to flip the iPhone into landscape mode. The notepaper went to full screen and I was able to read everything but the board was now covered up. It would be nice to either see all the instructions in portrait mode or be able to keep the chalkboard in landscape mode. I found the app’s tutorial to be very helpful but I’d love to see instructions scattered throughout the app. Perhaps prompts that popped up but could also be turned off if desired.

I’m looking forward to seeing future Parent Helper updates and watching where the app goes. I hope that it eventually includes other areas of Mathematics (Pre-Algebra please!) because I believe it could be a tremendous resource for parents. When I get updates I’ll be sure to come back and let you know how things are shaping up.

Price when Reviewed: $2.99

See the app in inTunes

Seller: Apples Don’t Grow On Trees

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this app for review purposes.