I'm Not Only the Dancing Panda Founder, But I'm Also a Client

“I'm not only the Dancing Panda Founder, but I'm also a client.” Any child of the 80’s may recognize the play on this famous slogan. And it really is true for me! I created Dancing Panda because I wanted a set of high-quality and grade-level appropriate games that I could play anytime with my girls. And as my kids (and company!) have gotten older, I am using DanPan content in ways I didn’t even consider when I started this journey.

Math isn't my oldest daughter Maddie's favorite subject, and the pandemic did her no favors. When the kids were back full-time in the classroom, M’s teacher noted she she needed more practice with her math facts, as it took her a long time to finish her addition and subtraction facts. But even more concerning, her confidence was being affected; she suddenly didn’t like math and believed she just was no good at it. 

Luckily, M had an awesome teacher who motivated her to get better. Mrs. L gave us paper worksheets and digital resources to help M get faster and more comfortable with her math facts, and by the middle of the grade she was exactly where she needed to be. We learned two important things: one, Maddie is good at math, and two, she needs to practice her math facts in order to keep this skill up. 

Which brings us back to Dancing Panda. When I was putting together the different ways M could work on her math facts over the summer, DanPan became an integral part. M doesn’t love just doing worksheets (can’t blame her!), so we needed to mix it up. In addition to math workbooks, she is doing some online math apps, flashcards, and DanPan math games!

We used the DanPan Digit Cards , and math activities from DanPan’s summer learning program too. One of M’s favorites is Zap! It’s a math game where we take turns counting, but every time we get to a number that is a multiple of 4, or has the number 4 in it, we have to say “Zap!” instead of the number! Now a few years later, after the pandemic, we are still playing Zap! together.

You maybe thinking - how does this help with math facts ? Each DanPan activity lays out the learning behind the fun in the “What is My Child Learning Section?” Zap! practices skip-counting, which is an important step in building students’ fluency with multiplication and division facts.

I love having Dancing Panda as part of my “arsenal” to keep M, and now E, on track during the summer months. But more importantly, I love knowing all our work will ensure she goes into the next school year feeling confident about her math skills.

I invite you to see how Dancing Panda can help your child feel their best next year. Sign up anytime between now and August 31st for our FREE month-long summer learning program.