Review: Big IQ Kids

About Big IQ Kids

We were recently given the opportunity to review the Premium Version of Big IQ Kids.  We have been using it for about a month now and I don’t think we’ve scratched the surface of what it is available on the site.
From the website:
BigIQkids.com presents a unique learning method designed to help each child develop the skills needed to perform to his/her full potential. Our award winning programs are designed for students in grades K-adults and promote spelling efficiency, vocabulary building, math fact mastery and US geography knowledge via multimedia reinforcement and independent learning. We offer both FREE spelling, math, vocabulary, U.S. states programs and spelling and vocabulary games.
It’s pretty simple to use.  Just register your student, make a learning buddy, and off you go. 
It offers two free programs, spelling and vocabulary, as well as the premium version which includes a math and U.S. states program.  The premium version also has a spelling jr. program for your students under third grade.
What’s the difference you ask?  According to Big IQ Kids:
The primary differences between the BigIQkids FREE and PREMIUM programs are the ability of the PREMIUM program to monitor the progress of the student and advance that student only when mastery of the subject matter has been achieved. Additionally, PREMIUM members have their progress tracked, saved, problem areas identified and these findings are reported via email to parents and/or teachers. The PREMIUM program offers students customized buddies, full game page access and the ability to save game coins and gaming high scores. These functions help double the fun while mastering core academic subject matter. The PREMIUM program has very LIMITED advertisement an no ads are displayed during lesson interaction.

 Our Experience

We’ve been using Big IQ Kids math and states programs to supplement our daily studies but we’ve been using the spelling portion as our main spelling program. 

Math:

The math portion is a fun way to review those math facts.  The parent is able to customize the amount and type of problems to fit their child’s learning needs.   The site tracks your child’s progress and reviews the facts until the student has mastered them.  No need to worry about gaps with the mastery approach. 

Big IQ Kids tracks your child’s progress with detailed reports.  You will be able to see at a glance exactly what your child needs to work on.




Another nice feature is the ability to print out activities for your child.  You can print out the current lesson for your child. 





The biggest issue with the math portion that we had was the way that you entered your answer.  If the answer was 157, you have to enter the 7 first, then  the 5, and finally the one.  This caused my daughter a great deal of frustration and effected her time.  She spent more time thinking about how she needed to enter the answer than she did on actually solving the problem. 

U.S. States:

The states programs covers location, spelling, capitals, and abbreviations.  The lessons also include fun and interesting facts about each state.  This is my daughter’s favorite part.

Spelling: 

Like the math program, the spelling is completely customizable within the premium version.  The parent is able to add their own spelling words or just use the lists that Big IQ Kids provides. 
There are a variety of games used to help the student practice the word lists.  And, like the math, you can print the lessons if you desire.


All the programs offer the student reward coins for a job well done.  The students can use these coins to play games in the game center or purchase things for their learning buddies.  My daughter is crazy about the games so it is a real motivator for her.

The Pros & Cons

Pros:

*You can use the program for FREE
*Tons of learning to be had.
*Game rewards are great student motivators
*The premium versions are customizable and do a great job tracking your child’s progress.
*Many of the lessons are printable.

Cons:

*The computer voice can be a tad irritating.
*Entering the math answers is not intuitive and can lead to frustration.

Final Thoughts

Big IQ Kids has been a lot of fun for my daughter.  She enjoys completing the lessons and often asks to do more than I had scheduled.   She doesn’t even mind that she’s learning and that’s always a good thing.  =o)

FYI

Website:  http://www.bigiqkids.com/
Pricing: A variety of pricing packages to fit your needs.
Ages: K-adult



Disclaimer: As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I was given a subscription to Big IQ Kids for review purposes.  All opinions are my own.

Check out more Big IQ Crew reviews here.