Bugsy’s Math Quest Parents Guide.

Tips for Parents & Teachers.

Bugsy’s Math Quest is a game that helps reinforce through practice basic arithmetic operations. If your child has memorized math facts without the need of drilling, this app will help him work on his speed and accuracy! In case math is a little rusty, we have compiled a few steps to get those math engines running.

  1. If your children are just starting to learn basic arithmetic, don’t drill just yet.

    2. Sit with them and perform simple math activities, such as counting and sorting objects. Take the opportunity to introduce them to the multiplication and division concepts by reciting the tables adding and using groups of objects to help them memorize them.

  2. Go through the basics verbally

    3. When you feel they are comfortable with object based operations, it’s time to memorize. Start reviewing simple operations orally. Multiplication flashcards are very useful teaching tools at this stage. Let your children build the problems with their objects if they need to. If you see that they are struggling to come up with the answer, help them get it. Try to make the experience relaxing; it is all about getting them comfortable with mental math. Repetition is the best strategy in this step. Timed exercises are not recommended yet.

  3. Time for fun math drills

    4. Now that basic arithmetic seems to be under control, pick a day of the week to work on math drills. Let them play with the Bugsy’s Math Quest app and observe them. Assess their strengths and weaknesses, and make sure to encourage them to practice off-line using math drill sheets. Their paper training goal is to get them ready to beat the game.

  4. Jump in at any time!

    5. Play the game with them to show that it is possible to master these basic math skills. Your participation not only creates aspirational motivation for your children, but will also give them quick peeks at what lies ahead in the game. This will increase their interest in math and show them some of the challenges that they will eventually master. Avoid revealing too much of the game though, because the objective is to entice them to be the one that completes most of the levels.

Application Features
Main Menu Interface

Main Menu Screen Shot

  1. Toggle

    2. This switch changes the game mode from multiplication to division and vice versa.

  2. Difficulty Level

    3. Once your children have mastered the easy level, challenge them with the hard level.

  3. Badges

    4. There are three types of badges, gold, silver, and bronze. The badge depends on the number of correct answers achieved on the level. The golden badge represents the highest merit.

  4. Settings

    5. The settings menu gives parent access to the performance metrics, number of questions per stage, and to the contact us links.

Game Interface

Interface Screen Shot

  1. Lives

    2. The heart icons represent the number of times you can miss a question before the game is over. During game play, you will be able to earn additional lives either by answering bonus questions or by completing a stage within the level. Bugsy gets upgrades at the three and five hearts’ levels.

  2. Progress Indicator

    3. The pencil icon indicates the position of Bugsy in relation to the final boss. Each level has three stages. Every time a new stage is reached, a new enemy appears in Bugsy’s world.

  3. Questions

    4. Answer most of the questions correctly and avoid losing all of your hearts in order to complete a level.

  4. Pause Menu

    5. Need to take a break? Want to play a different level? Just tap the pause icon and decide what you want to do.

  5. Numeric Keypad

    6. To answer the questions, just tap the right number combination. There is no need to delete; the intelligent keypad erases invalid answers letting your children focus on the math.

Performance Metrics

Metrics Screen Shot

Green ticks represent correct answers, and red ticks are incorrect answers. Metrics displaying long red trends usually represent confusion about the operations included in a level. It is important to highlight that these metrics should always be validated by parents or teachers since they don’t take into account contextual information. If a child is watching TV while playing the app, the drill’s results are inaccurate and unusable. However, if the parents consider the assessment valid, they can work with the child to strengthen the performance on the specific level.