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Writer's pictureGayathri Geetha

Math enrichment recommendations for kindergarten and 1st grade ex. Beast Academy

Long time no see ! :) Today, I wanted to share a quick post on workbooks my son and I read and work on together. These are specifically targeted at Math enrichment.


Why I do this: One of my favorite finds during the pandemic (when my son was 4) was "How to teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons" - we read through that book over several months (15-20 mins at a time) and I saw it did wonders for my son's reading ability. Sharing that time with him, watching his abilities grow , his pride when he got through a passage and when I applauded his progress - <3 BLISS I loved our time together :) We still do read quite a bit to each other and listen to novels on audible but I wanted to start doing something similar in other areas as well e.g. math.


So here are my top picks for you if you want to start doing the same w/ your little one.


1) Beast Academy 1a & 1b





What I love about this book series:

- Concepts are taught in comic style format. It's fun to read w/ your little one.

- This is not your typical add 3+4 or count from x to y type of workbook . Ex. Counting introduces concepts like 10 frames, 10 strips in a very understandable manner and I felt the questions and exercises are not what you would find in a generic workbook. In other words, felt these chapters encouraged you to think of math a little differently, to find patterns and make logical conclusions - ah-ma-zing!


What would make this better:

- Wish the online app/ website is available so they can practice these concepts a lot more. Felt the number of practice questions were small. AoPS is looking to bring this out later this year (they already have this for levels 2+) - so maybe it is just a question of time.


2) DO NOT OPEN THIS MATH BOOK - Danica McKellar


I was shocked when I realized this book was authored by Danica McKellar who played Winnie in one of my favorite childhood shows of all time - The Wonder Years! Also found out she has loads of other math books as well for babies to 12-13 year olds. Check them out here !










What I love about this book :


- Like beast academy, this book takes a fun and casual tone when explaining concepts like number lines, place value etc.

- The book is visually appealing with fun pictures, cute stories, and games that help practice t


he skills.

- Both this book and Beast academy really do encourage number sense and illustrate various concepts in an intuitive manner.


What would make this better:

- Similar to Beast Academy, felt the number of practice questions were small . My son and I come up w/ questions on our own after the material for each chapter - so no biggie.



Alright those are my top two picks for math enrichment for kinder and 1st grade. Loving working through these with my 6 year old. If you have any other suggestions please let me know in the comments!


Have a good day.


















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