Parents' Guide to

Numbala

By Dana Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 6+

Visual lessons, basic math concepts via fun flying game.

App iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad , Android Paid Education
Numbala Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this app.

  • Numbala App: Screenshot #1
  • Numbala App: Screenshot #2
  • Numbala App: Screenshot #3
  • Numbala App: Screenshot #4
  • Numbala App: Screenshot #5

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Privacy Rating Warning

  • Unclear whether personal information is sold or rented to third parties.
  • Unclear whether personal information are shared for third-party marketing.
  • Unclear whether this product displays personalised advertising.
  • Data are collected by third-parties for their own purposes.
  • Unclear whether this product uses a user's information to track and target advertisements on other third-party websites or services.
  • Unclear whether this product creates and uses data profiles for personalised advertisements.
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What’s It About?

To play NUMBALA, enter your name, gender, and birth date, and then set the level of difficulty. Tap play to begin on Level 1, called "Pinomba Island." Watch the visual storyline on which gameplay is based, and view the visual tutorial on the game's number line. After you begin, watch the on-screen hand for clues. Tap the number on the flying ship that matches the number of dots or numeral in the airscape where your character is flying to line them up, fly through them, and earn points. As the levels progress, players use different skills (shooting lasers, avoiding obstacles, numeral recognition, addition, and subtraction).

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say Not yet rated
Kids say (1 ):

This flying ship-themed game is a fun, visually appealing way to learn basic math concepts. Besides looking nice, the great thing about Numbala is that the numbers are so baked into the central, pragmatic tasks in the game that kids might not even notice that they're actually doing math. Numbala's way of introducing how objects are grouped and how numerals represent those groups may be particularly effective for kids who are struggling to learn the basics of math in the standard pencil-and-paper way. Other kids will likely just enjoy this fast-paced, pretty game with a slightly exciting (mostly sweet) storyline.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how Numbala uses visuals to represent numbers. Look around your house or out in nature for other things you can count and group, add and subtract.

  • Watch the intro with your kid. There's no audio with the story, so it may be helpful for some kids to talk through the story with an adult to fully understand the story behind the game on this app. What's happening in this game? What's your goal?

  • Read Common Sense Media's What apps can help my kid do better in math? for more digital math learning resources.

App Details

  • Devices: iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad , Android
  • Subjects: Math : addition, numbers, subtraction
  • Skills: Thinking & Reasoning : making conclusions, part-whole relationships
  • Pricing structure: Paid
  • Release date: July 30, 2018
  • Category: Education
  • Publisher: Neurodio
  • Version: 1.3.2
  • Minimum software requirements: iOS 9.0 or later; Android 4.1 and up
  • Last updated: October 20, 2020

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