Algebra games for middle and high school

What algebra covers, from middle school to high school

• 6th grade: writing and reading expressions, one-step equations, ratios and the first negative numbers.
• 7th grade: operations with negative numbers, two-step equations and inequalities, proportions and percent change.
• 8th grade: exponent rules, scientific notation, equations with x on both sides, slope and linear functions.
• Algebra 1: linear functions and systems, exponent rules including fractional exponents, and the start of quadratics.
• Algebra 2: rational expressions and equations, exponential growth and decay, and probability.

Which game practices what

• Moon Math (ages 11 to 14): every moon is a problem to solve before you can drop it: one-step and two-step equations, x on both sides, exponents and exponent rules, square and cube roots, integers, order of operations and scientific notation. There are no choices to pick from, so the only way forward is to really solve it.
• Fraction Bakery (ages 7 to 18): the older chapters are made for teens, with a calmer city look. They cover proportions, percent change, signed numbers, slope from two points, exponent rules and fractional exponents like 8^(2/3), work and mixture problems, simplifying and solving rational expressions, conditional probability and expected value.
• Numeria (ages 5 to 14, with a high school setting): a story adventure where every question follows the math level you pick. The 7th and 8th grade level has integers, equations, exponents and slope, and the high school level has algebra, quadratics, functions and probability.
• Puzzle Pines (ages 6 to 12): balance scale puzzles where kids work out how many acorns balance the big one. It's the idea of equal sides and substitution that every equation is built on, and a good warm up for younger middle schoolers.

Practice that explains itself

When an answer is wrong, Moon Math shows how that kind of problem works and gives a fresh problem to try, and missed kinds come back a few moons later. In Fraction Bakery a miss shows more of the picture, like the rise and run on a graph, and names the usual mix-up, and after a second miss it walks through the worked steps. Both games keep track of which kinds of problems are strong and which need practice, so effort goes where it helps.

Tips for teens and grown-ups

• Undo in reverse. For 2x + 5 = 21, undo the adding first, then the multiplying.
• Check by plugging in. Put the answer back into the equation. If both sides match, it's right.
• Say why. Explain why 2³ times 2² is 2⁵ and not 2⁶. If you can explain it, you know it.
• Spot it in real life. Discounts, phone plans and recipe scaling are all algebra in disguise.

More math by grade

See 6th grade, 7th grade and 8th grade math games for everything in each year, or brush up with our fraction games. Our learning games have no ads, no accounts, no chat and no purchases, and they don't use analytics. Progress stays in the browser on your device.

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