The Top 5 Online Interactive Math Games for 5th Grade Students

Interactive math games for 5th graders can foster student success and achievement, but knowing where to begin, both in terms of which online program to use and how to incorporate it into your classroom, is not so obvious. For example, you might be confused about the difference between interactive math games and math lessons. Math games can be an exploratory and fun way for your child to practice math concepts. That said, they typically aren’t used for teaching new math concepts, but rather reinforcing ones that your 5th grader has already been taught. More specifically, your child would have been taught these math concepts during a math lesson that follows the fifth grade math curriculum. Math lessons can take place online or in person and are most often taught by teachers who employ specific learning strategies.

In the world of 5th grade math games online, there are tons of different types of games for your students to take advantage of. From decimal games to interactive online games on math rounding numbers for 5th grade, these programs can help students better understand complicated math concepts while making learning fun. For example, Prodigy Math takes elements from role-playing games, requiring players to compete in math duels against in-game characters in which they must answer sets of math problems to win! Read on to discover more about the top interactive math games for 5th grade students and how they can benefit students both at home and in the classroom.

5th grade math involves teaching students a wide range of important concepts, building off of what they have learned in previous years. For reference, if you have a child taking 5th grade math, that means that they are likely 10 to 11 years of age. By this time, your child has already learned a number of valuable math concepts, which makes them ready to explore more advanced concepts, such as multiplying, graphing points, dividing fractions and decimals, understanding volume, and understanding the place value system. This is where online interactive math games for 5th grade can come in handy, especially when the games are specific to the teacher’s lesson plan, e.g. dividing fraction games or decimal games. 

These 5th grade math games online may not only help students grasp important concepts that they struggle to understand in the classroom but can also help them foster a genuine interest in and potentially even a love for math. Plus, the skills they learn in 5th grade math might even apply to their chosen career later in life. 

Learning 5th grade math topics is essential for all students, which is why key concepts are embedded in the curriculum. According to Common Core standards, teachers are required to cover certain topics in the 5th grade math curriculum. This aims to ensure that no student falls behind in their learning and helps facilitate the seamless transition of students between schools.  

Required topics in the 5th grade common core standards for math are as follows:

• Operations and Algebraic Thinking  
• Write and interpret numerical expressions. 
• Analyze patterns and relationships. 
• Number and Operations in Base Ten  
• Understand the place value system.  
• Perform operations with multi-digit whole numbers and with decimals to hundredths. 
• Number and Operations—Fractions  
• Use equivalent fractions as a strategy to add and subtract fractions.  
• Apply and extend previous understandings of multiplication and division to multiply and divide fractions. 
• Measurement and Data  
• Convert like measurement units within a given measurement system.  
• Represent and interpret data.  
• Geometric measurement: understand concepts of volume and relate volume to multiplication and addition.
• Geometry  
• Graph points on the coordinate plane to solve real-world and mathematical problems.  
• Classify two-dimensional figures into categories based on their properties.

Whether you’re a parent or a teacher, there can be several benefits of teaching using online math games. Generally speaking, teaching math through games has the potential to foster problem solving skills and help students better understand math concepts. In fact, research is already starting to show how gamifying math can result in higher median standardized test scores, help students master more math skills, and lead to an increase in math enjoyment. For example, students at Clifton Public Schools in New Jersey mastered 68% more math skills per month when using Prodigy Math in 2019-2020 compared to 2018-2019. Further, since online math games can make learning more fun, Prodigy Math has been shown to significantly improve enjoyment among students who previously cited low math enjoyment.

The best online math games for 5th grade students are interactive, engaging, and most importantly, adaptable. In our opinion, online math games should always be customizable to individual student levels while following the set curriculum. Below, we outline a few of the top online math games for 5th grade students. 

1. Prodigy Math

Prodigy Math is a standards-aligned, role-playing-style online math game that can be adapted to suit the needs of students between 1st and Eighth Grade. Prodigy Math for grade 5 is free to use for schools and teachers and can be played at home or at school. In the classroom, teachers can customize questions or problems within the game to align with lesson plans. 

Even better, Prodigy Math games use adaptive learning and differentiated instruction principles to adjust content based on the unique challenges that each student faces. This creates a truly personalized learning experience. Teachers can then visit the teacher dashboard, which provides free reports and data, to learn about each student’s progress, identify learning gaps, and get ahead of them by addressing them as soon as possible. 

2. BrainPOP

BrainPOP is made for students in 3rd grade up to 8th grade and primarily uses animated videos to explain different math concepts. Concepts range from basic arithmetic to advanced topics, such as algebra. Along with each video, users are encouraged to participate in various online activities, challenges, and quizzes that reinforce the concepts learned.

At its core, BrainPOP is designed to break down complex math topics, making them easier for students to digest and understand. BrainPOP can be used at home or in the classroom and gives teachers and parents access to printable worksheets, lesson plans, and individual student progress.

3. National Library of Virtual Manipulatives

The National Library of Virtual Manipulatives, established by Utah State University, is another online math game for 1st grade students and up. When users visit the online National Library of Virtual Manipulatives, they will gain access to activities involving digital math manipulatives. For instance, an example of a geometry activity for 5th graders on the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives’ platform involves using geo-boards to illustrate three-dimensional shapes.

4. SplashLearn

SplashLearn is an online math platform for Pre-K students up to 5th graders. It provides thousands of interactive math resources, covering core math topics, such as geometry, addition, multiplication, and subtraction. SplashLearn primarily teaches math through interactive online games, printable worksheets, and live classes led by experts. Key features of SplashLearn include student progress tracking, personalized learning paths, and rewards to motivate learners.

5. Funbrain

Funbrain is intended for students from Pre-K up to 8th Grade and provides math-focused games that can reinforce math concepts, such as fractions, division, and multiplication. Examples of the platform’s interactive games include “Math Baseball” and “Tic Tac Toe Squares.” Funbrain’s online math games are categorized by grade, making it easy for students to find the online games that pertain to their knowledge and skill level.

Start incorporating classroom math games into 5th grade learning today. Encouraging your students to play math games in the classroom can make lessons more engaging, help them prepare for standardized tests, and allow them to have fun! Plus, a central tenet of many online math games, including Prodigy Math, is curriculum alignment, so you won’t have to worry about veering away from the required topics in your region.  

You can incorporate an adaptable, standards-aligned game like Prodigy Math when setting assignments or as homework to complete after school. Math games for 5th graders online can be played inside or outside the classroom, as well as online or offline. You can choose to integrate math games into learning in a way that suits the unique abilities of your students. For example, once you’ve created an assignment with tailor-made questions for your class, you can ask your students to log in to Prodigy and start playing. Play can be done individually or in small groups. 

As a teacher, it’s easier than ever to embrace online math games and integrate Prodigy’s Math Game into your 5th grade math lesson plans. Our intuitive and standards-aligned online math games are not only easy-to-use but are free to access. Here at Prodigy, we are on a mission to help students fall in love with learning and facilitate the growth of their math skills in the best way we know how - through math games for 5th graders online.

Curriculum-alignment is a key factor in our 5th grade math game. This allows teachers to use Prodigy’s Math Game as a valuable teaching tool, helping to reinforce lesson plans and grow essential skills by seamlessly integrating our game into assignments and homework.