Review: CapJaxMathFax

Finding a good way to practice math facts seems like a universal parenting challenge. Thankfully, there are a lot of different options -- each appealing to different children.

Over the past few years, I've found that my children just plain don't like to do math drill programs. I've also found that cool graphics and games do not make the math drill more enjoyable for them. Frankly, I doubt that they'll ever choose to practice math drills. Both Addison and Brennan would rather have a simple program that allows them to get their mandated practice over with as quickly as possible. CapJaxMathFax fits that criteria and more. It's simple to use and doesn't have any time-consuming extras that annoy my children.

As a parent, I noticed several subtle features of the program that really impress me. First of all, I always like programs that allow for more difficult mixed operations practice instead of just drilling one operation at a time. The practice problems are written in several different forms -- vertical, horizontal, and with different symbols for the operation. (The screenshot above shows a way to write multiplication problems that is not commonly seen in drill programs.) CapJaxMathFax adds an extra layer of difficulty and has practice problems with negative numbers for older students.

I pay close attention to the way that the student is asked to input the numbers when I look at drill programs. I prefer a program that does not give a right/wrong response until after the child clicks enter. This allows for corrections to be made by the student in the case of a typo or other silly mistake. CapJaxMathFax also requires that the student click a button when they are ready for the next problem. This feature is fabulous in my opinion, perhaps a must-have in our house. I cannot count the number of times that someone wanders through and starts talking to the child that's trying to get a good score on their math drill. With CapJaxMathFax, a distraction will not mess up the entire score, just the single problem that they are working on right at that second. The student can look away from the computer without being penalized and can pick right back up when they are ready to refocus on the math drill.

CapJaxMathFax costs $29.95 to download (Windows or Mac versions) and allows you to use it with up to 10 users. They offer a free trial that you can download here.

If you'd like to hear what the other members of the review crew thought about CapJaxMathFax, please visit The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew blog.

Disclaimer: I received CapJaxMathFax as a member of the 2011-12 TOS Homeschool Review Crew, and I received no other compensation. In return, I agreed to give an honest review of the materials and how they worked for my homeschool family.