Customer Reviews

FlashMaster: Handheld computer for mastering multiplication tables that makes flashcards obsolete

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have tried many educational "toys" that claimed to teach your child his math facts, but they failed with my kids. I have also looked at many software programs on the market. In my opinion this little device out does them all. If your child misses a problem, it gives him the correct answer, and then repeats the same problem twice more for practice. It has many different modes. Your kids can practice tables in order, tables out of order, or levels. (For example Level 1 of the multiplication tables would include 1 and 2 times tables, while level 6 would include all the multiplication tables from 1-10. In addition to this it has a practice mode and a test mode. It also has timing options. You can give them a certain amount of time to do as many problems as they can, or you can give them a number of seconds for each problem. It also has a mode where you can enter up to 15 of the problems, that you think your child needs to work on the most and he can practice those. It saves scores from the last nine activities telling you how much time it took, how many problems they did, and how many they missed. I'm a homeschooling mom of 8, and I was able to quit flashcards with my last 2 kids. They both learned their times tables with this device, without any help from me. Currently my 7 year old has started to learn her addition tables. You can't go wrong with this machine.

Our school requires this product for their students. I was a little skeptical about it but my kids love the flashmaster. They really dont feel like they are doing homework when I sit them down to work on it. My kids feel like it is a "game" against the clock. Flashmaster is much more fun than flashcards and much easier to work with. (no keeping up with boxes of flashcards) Flashmaster is a little pricey but worth it.

Parent of 1st & 3rd grade children.

We love Flash Master. I like it particulary because everything you need is contained in the games, no booklet, paper, pencils necessary. We take it everywhere. My son likes to save time by using it on our short errand trips. He also practices in the morning at the breakfast table or at night in his room. I

It really emcompasses everything you need for mastery. YOu can study your tables "in" order or "not" in order, flashcards, timed tests and special problems. It is great for a child just starting to study math as well as an older child who needs review.

We love it!

Even really bright kids sometimes need a little help learning their math facts... and the FlashMaster is the perfect toy/tool for the job. My little one spent hours with it when she was first learning her facts. She liked that she could pick an easy table, and get a perfect score; I liked that I could pick a table she was struggling with, and she could practice, and I could see how she scored. We had a deal: she picked one table, I picked the next.

There are lots of options - select the operation (+.-.* or /) pick the table or let it select facts randomly, and decide if you want timed or untimed problems. And parents or teachers can always go back and see how the child has scored.

It's been years since then, and every few months, she pulls out the FlashMaster. It was handy for speed reviews when they introduced long division in 4th grade, and least common denominators in 5th. In this era of calculator-based math classes, the FlashMaster helped her learn the facts she needs to be successful in all sorts of math in the future.

Thanks, FlashMaster!

Carolyn K., Mrs. Hoagie, Hoagies' Gifted Education Page

My 2nd grader has a corpus callosum defect in his brain which makes it difficult for him to grasp abstract concepts. Repetition tends to work really well for him, but even after using flashcards & worksheets (his handwriting is also sluggish), he was still struggling with basic addition & subtraction facts. I was researching some additional tools I could use to help him when I came across the FlashMaster. Within just a weekend of practicing with it, it was truly like a switch in his brain turned on. By the end of the week, his teacher sent me a message, asking what we had done differently with him! The results were so positive that the school's resource teacher ordered one! We'll certainly be glad to have it around when he starts multiplication & division in a couple of years!

My daughter has been struggling with math and she uses these in her classroom. We bought her one to practice at home. It works well and definitely meets all of our expectations.

Unfortunately, after about 3 months, the product failed...the screen froze and stopped working completely, despite trying everything.

But the flashmaster company was EXTRAORDINARILY helpful in resolving the situation. We returned it by mail and had a new one within 3 days. They were very apologetic and extremely helpful. It is nice, especially these days, to deal with a company that fully stands behind their product, and who goes out of their way to make things right when they go wrong.

I bought this machine when my kids were 4,6 and 8 (4 years ago). My youngest started using it since he was 4 (although it says min age is 7 - not sure why). Today they are all math olympics champions. My oldest is in 7th grade taking 8th grade math, including calculus. This machine is incredible. It is worth every single cent paid. I am very impressed with the way it was designed, even though it looks (very) ugly. We did not have to read the manual and have not done it to date. In addition to the regular format of tests, it allows you to solve for x (the ?). My kids still "enjoy" using this machine, even my oldest who is 12 now. We have timed competitions and prizes ($), which makes it a lot of fun. The beauty is that you do not have to be with the child to control the results, the machine does it all automatically. I highly recommend it. I would say in our household it has been kids tested and both parents and kids approved !!!

This isn't "fun". It's a way to practice math drills, and it does a good job of reinforcing math facts. Our kids do it but they don't have fun. Don't expect your children to think this is a game. Our kids would rather do math Wrap-Ups.

bought a unit for my daughter.

The Bad Work less then 24hrs and display went--> dead unit

The Good Manufacturer- sending a new unit at no charge.

This has helped a little girl I know that was having trouble with her math. Since using FlashMaster her grade was an F now she has an C average. This has helped her in just a few weeks. Thanks again for a great product.