New Osmo Math Wizard Games Let Students Embrace Math, Just As Studies Suggest Larger Learning Loss in Math Due to COVID-19

May 6, 2021 / Company News

With recent research suggesting a greater learning loss in mathematics among K-8 students during the pandemic and with many school districts having yet to reopen full-time, in-person learning; parents are looking for affordable, supplemental at-home learning to help kids with math, and avoid a gap in learning. They are also looking for products to help a child struggling with math or needing a confidence boost to learn it. 

To meet this growing demand we have launched, for the first time ever, a learning series—Math Wizard, which now offers two new games! Our curriculum-inspired series’ offers an active learning approach that allows kids to learn math through tactile play and the use of creativity and imagination, so much that they are eager, if not thrilled, to learn more.

“What’s amazing is that 20,000 kids played Math Wizard and solved more than 3.5 million math problems since the launch of our first two games in October 2020,” says Pramod Sharma, Osmo CEO. “Parents who witnessed their kids using the product were thrilled with their child’s engagement and really liked the healthy screen time.”

Self-Paced Games Build Math Confidence, Decrease Anxiety

The eight-part Math Wizard series allows kids to experience math through hands-on, narrative- and adventure-driven games, where kids use manipulatives to experiment, exercise their imagination and creativity. The self-paced games drive enthusiasm and help build math confidence, decreasing math anxiety commonly felt by students and parents, and inspire kids to solve problems on their own—a hallmark of all Osmo games. For struggling learners, targeted hints are built into the games to nudge them along so they find a correct answer, and remain engaged. The series is intended for kids 6-8 years (grades 1-2), and perfect for learning at home.

The first two games in the series are Math Wizard and the Magical Workshop and Math Wizard and the Secrets of Dragons, cover the foundations of addition and subtraction, and introduce students to measurement standards, while the third and fourth titles focus on laying foundations for multiplication and division, adding more than two numbers, understanding how equations are formed, and addition and subtraction fluency. Families can start a child’s education by purchasing any title within the series. 

Newest Additions to Math Wizard

The third game in our series is Math Wizard and the Amazing Airships, which focuses on mathematical thinking, where kids join Rupert the robot mouse in building and designing airships for the many islands of Spellbarrow Port. Using math and Rupert’s magical wrench, kids deliver packages, balance objects so they can fly, and navigate challenges like thunderstorms and high winds. Amazing Airships features two games and the box contains: 1 Magical Board; 16 Ship Pieces; 16 Cargo Pieces; 12 Balloon Pieces.

The two games contained within are:

  1. Airships – players build airships on their mat and test them in the skies, learning how to balance lift (balloons) and weight (packages, woodblocks) so they can fly.
  2. Clockwork – in this all-digital game, players use their fingers and counting skills to wind up a team of quirky clockwork robots, to the right amount, so they can move around the port

Kids will learn:

  • Building and balancing equations 
  • Practicing addition and subtraction 
  • Solving for an unknown value
  • Introduction to algebraic thinking

The fourth game is Math Wizard and the Enchanted World Games, which sets the foundations of multiplication and inspires critical thinking. Here, kids create power smoothies and meals for athletes across various competitions! Using math skills, they give their team the right mix of magic ingredients needed to win the gold. The box features 2 games and contains: 1 Lunchbox Mat; 27 Fruit & Veggie Pieces; 1 Juice Mat; 12 Fruit Strips; 1 Magical Token.

The two games contained within are:

  1. Bento Box – players choose from five different sports and help athletes by packing them a magic lunchbox requiring the best combination of fruits
  2. Juice Team – elite athletes across four different sports count upon players to blend the right number of fruits  to create a magic juice, so they can win trophies

Kids will learn:

  • Repeated addition as a foundation of multiplication
  • Advanced addition and subtraction
  • Number decomposition
  • Analytical skills

Praised By Parents & Teachers; Math is a Critical Life Skill

Math Wizard couldn’t have come at a better time! Since we are distance learning, the kids could use the extra hands-on help with math. The creative storylines and fun physical items made teaching math concepts fun! The layout was similar to how they teach common core in school so that was extremely helpful” Jenielle Chaney, parent, Orange County, California.

Math Wizard is helping my students to subitize basic addition problems. They love to get their turns making potions and that makes them love addition and subtraction. The visual of using tens and ones is also reinforcing place value. Both basic addition and understanding place value are key foundations to success in learning mathematics in the future. To have a successful life, you have to have basic math skills. Math is used in just about every aspect of life.” Zandra Clay, first-grade teacher, Lockhart, Texas

All four Math Wizard games are available now on our website and on Amazon.