About Bobby's Math Club
Bobby's Math Club is free online math practice for children in Pre-K through 5th grade, made by Robert “Bobby” Barnett, a parent and math teacher. Despite the name, it isn't a class or tutoring center that meets in person, so there's nothing to attend. Your child practices on a phone, tablet, or computer, about 5 minutes at a time.
Bobby is an award-winning math teacher, the author of Meet Every Learner's Needs, and a parent who uses Bobby's Math Club with his own kids every week. Here's why.
“When I was in kindergarten, my parents bought me a book of math problems. Every day I would sit with my dad and do a few problems. I loved spending the time with him and more importantly I loved getting the simple problems right.
“That gave me a lot of confidence in math. No matter how hard the content got, I thought back to doing problems with my dad and I knew I could learn it. I went on to Princeton University, where I studied public policy with a quantitative focus and took math courses along the way.
“After college — and, for some reason, law school — I realized that I wanted to share my love of math with others. I became a math teacher, and started a nonprofit called the Modern Classrooms Project to train math teachers worldwide.
“And when I had my own kids, I thought back to the book of problems I used to do with my dad. Could I create an experience like that, not just for my kids but for other kids too? When the kids went to bed I stayed up late, trying to create something to share with them. And Bobby's Math Club was born.”
The Research
The science is pretty clear: kids who build strong math skills early are set up for success later on. Research shows that a child's math knowledge when they enter school is one of the strongest predictors of their academic achievement down the road — even stronger than early reading skills.1 And the benefits last. Studies have found that early math abilities predict outcomes all the way into adulthood, from high school course-taking to college enrollment to career success.2, 3
So what actually helps kids learn math? The research points to two things: practice at the right level of difficulty, and a supportive adult by their side. Studies consistently show that when parents engage in math activities with their kids at home — even briefly and informally — children's math skills improve meaningfully.4 You don't have to be a math teacher. You just have to show up.
- Duncan, G. J., Dowsett, C. J., Claessens, A., Magnuson, K., Huston, A. C., Klebanov, P., & Japel, C. (2007). School readiness and later achievement. Developmental Psychology, 43(6), 1428–1446.
- Ritchie, S. J., & Bates, T. C. (2013). Enduring links from childhood mathematics and reading achievement to adult socioeconomic status. Psychological Science, 24(7), 1301–1308.
- Davis-Kean, P. E., Tang, S., & Jager, J. (2021). It matters how you start: Early numeracy mastery predicts high school math course-taking and college attendance. Infant and Child Development, 31(2), e2281.
- Daucourt, M. C., Napoli, A. R., Quinn, J. M., Wood, S. G., & Hart, S. A. (2021). The home math environment and children's math achievement: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 147(6), 565–596.
Our Team
Designed for kids and their parents, by parents and their kids.