Olympiad and Kangaroo-style maths, pitched where your child is
Every problem is answered by choosing an option, and Kiwimath picks each one from where your child is right now. A right answer moves them up a skill; a wrong one brings another question on the same idea when there is one, hints that never hand over the answer and, at Levels 1 to 3, a note on what went wrong.
Start freeFree during early access.
By Anand Prakash, who makes Kiwimath. Checked on .
The skill ladder
Each topic is a ladder of skills, one idea per rung. The first question on a rung checks whether your child already has the idea. If they get it right, they move straight up and skip the easier versions. If not, they get another version of the same idea, and another if needed, until one is right or there are no more versions of it. Then they move on. Their place is saved, so coming back tomorrow never sends them back down.
Try the rule here:
- Skill 5ahead
- Skill 4ahead
- Skill 3ahead
- Skill 2you are here
- Skill 1passed
Your child is on skill 2 of this topic.
A model of the rule, with made-up answers. Real topics have many more skills.
Every skill: learn, practise, master
A session is five problems at Levels 1 and 2, and ten from Level 3 up. It always ends with a small celebration, even on a hard day, because effort is what gets a child up the next rung.
Learn the idea
Each new skill opens with a short lesson: the key idea and one worked example. This is the start of Pattern Play, at Level 1:
“Before guessing, write down what happens from one term to the next. Addition? Multiplication? Something else?”
Worked example. What colour bead comes next? Red, blue, red, blue, red, blue, ?
- Find the group that repeats.
- Count where the next bead falls in that group.
Practise at the edge
Then problems picked for your child. A slip is not the end: at Levels 1 to 3 they see a note about the answer they chose, and at every level there are hints that stop one move short of the answer.
Master it on your own
A skill counts as mastered only after two or more right answers with no hints, on two or more different days. Once mastered, it stays mastered, and review brings it back before it fades.
- Skill 1Mastered
- Skill 2Mastered
- Skill 3You are here
- Skill 4Ahead
Hints instead of answers
Being stuck is safe. Under every problem sits a ladder of up to three hints, and your child opens them one at a time. Hints are free and never cost coins.
- Nudge Points at what to look at.
- Strategy Suggests a way in.
- Worked step Walks most of the way and leaves the last move to your child.
A problem solved with hints still counts as practice. It just doesn’t count towards mastery, so the idea comes back until your child can do it alone.
A note for the answer they actually chose
Wrong answers in Kiwimath are written with a reason in mind. At Levels 1 to 3, when your child picks one, they see a short note about that exact choice, not a generic “try again”. Then they can take a hint, try another problem like it, or see the full solution. Wrong answers are shown in a warm colour with the words “Your answer”, never a red cross.
Mastery means on their own
A skill counts as mastered after two or more right answers with no hints, on two or more different India-time days, in practice. Puzzles don’t count towards it. Once a skill is mastered it stays mastered.
Review before it fades
Learning something once is not the same as keeping it. Kiwimath brings skills back for a quick review, and today’s screen says when some are ready (“3 skills ready to refresh”). A review session is at most 15 problems.
Kangaroo-style papers
When your child wants to try a whole paper, Kiwimath has timed practice papers in the Kangaroo format for Class 1 to 12. The questions are Kiwimath’s own, written in the same style; they are practice, not past papers.
- 3 pointsSection 1
- 4 pointsSection 2
- 5 pointsSection 3, the hardest
Five options on every question, and exactly one is right. A blank costs nothing.
The time limit shows before the paper starts, and the clock can be hidden. After hand-in, your child sees the score for each section and a worked solution for every question.
The Climb and the weekly puzzle
Practice is the heart of Kiwimath. For children who like a challenge, there are two extras. Both show only your child’s own result, never a ranking against other children.
- The ClimbTen problems that adapt as your child answers, to find how high they can go at their level. Their best height is kept, so the only record to beat is their own.
- Puzzle of the weekA puzzle opens every Saturday at 6 PM India time. See this week’s.
Questions parents ask
What does “adaptive” mean in Kiwimath?
The next problem depends on the last answer. Right moves your child up to the next skill; wrong brings another question on the same idea when there is one. Two children at the same level will see different problems.
Where does my child start?
You tell us their class when they start, and we suggest the matching level: Class 1-2 is Level 1, Class 3-4 Level 2, Class 5-6 Level 3, Class 7-8 Level 4, and Class 9 and up start on the olympiad levels. You can pick a different level at any time. See all the levels.
How long should a session be?
A few problems a day is enough. A session is five problems at Levels 1 and 2 and ten after that. Little and often works better than one long sitting.
Can my child just keep clicking until they get it right?
They can try again. But one lucky answer never makes a skill mastered: it takes right answers with no hints, on two different days.
Do I need to install anything?
No. Kiwimath runs in the browser on a phone, a tablet or a laptop. There is no app to download.
Free during early access. Everything is included, and there is no card to enter. What early access means
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