Why We're Obsessed with NumberClub (And Why Your Students Will Be Too)

We want to be upfront about something: Math is FigureOutAble does not often fully endorse products. Pam Harris has spent her career helping teachers move away from the idea that math is something you do to students with the right tool or program. So when we say we're excited about NumberClub, we mean it. This is one of the rare times we've seen a product that genuinely reflects what we believe about math learning, and we wanted to tell you about it.

Pam's Core Belief and Why It Matters Here

If you've spent any time with Math is FigureOutAble, you know Pam Harris has a clear and unwavering view: math is not rote-memorizable, and it is not random-guessable. It is figure-out-able. That means students don't need to be handed procedures to mimic. They need experiences that let them reason, build relationships between ideas, and develop the kind of flexible thinking that carries them through all of mathematics, from early numeracy all the way to algebra and beyond.

Pam has long argued that the biggest problem with traditional math instruction isn't effort or attitude. It's that students are being handed the mechanics of math without ever being invited into the reasoning. When that happens, students who struggle aren't failing at math. They're being failed by instruction that was never designed to help them think.

That's the lens through which we looked at NumberClub. And it's why we were so struck by what we found.

Math That Rewards Thinking, Not Just Answers

Here's the thing about most math games: they're just worksheets with a costume on. Flash a math fact, wait for an answer, play a sound effect, repeat. That's not math thinking. That's answer-hunting.

NumberClub does something fundamentally different. Their games are built around reasoning. Students see a problem, think about their next move, try it, and immediately see how their thinking plays out, visually, in real time. No judgment. No buzzer. Just the natural feedback that comes from watching your mathematical choices unfold.

That's the kind of math experience Pam has been championing for years. And it works.

Games That Actually Build Understanding

NumberClub's game library is designed for grades K-8 and targets the foundational skills that underpin everything else in math:

Stick & Split digs deep into multiplication and division, not through rote memorization, but through a visual, self-correcting game with over 300 levels that build genuine conceptual understanding. Stick & Split takes a product approach to multiplication, where the learner creates dense connections, and understands factors, not just finding a single answer to a single problem.  This is exactly the kind of multiplicative reasoning Pam talks about so often: the thinking that helps students move beyond counting strategies and into real mathematical power.

Brick Up develops addition and subtraction fluency by giving young learners the rich mathematical reasoning they need at a critical developmental stage. Pam often says that early numeracy isn't about getting fast at counting. It's about building the additive thinking that forms the foundation for everything that follows. Brick Up gets this, creating a game where the goal isn’t just finding answers to problems but focusing on relationships and magnitude to create important sums.

Number Ramble challenges students who think they already know their facts to discover how truly fluent they are, stretching and deepening their understanding in ways that surprise even the most confident mathematicians.

Each game is minimal on distraction and maximum on thinking. That's a rare combination.

What Teachers Are Saying

The feedback from classrooms using NumberClub is exactly what we'd hope to see. Teachers are reporting kids who ask for more practice. Students who start explaining their strategies to each other. Classrooms where math discussions are happening organically because kids are genuinely curious about why something works.

One teacher described it as students doing "mathematical gymnastics" they never would have dreamed of normally. Another said their students are "obsessed" and that their knowledge has "gone through the roof." These aren't the outcomes you get from drill-and-kill software. These are the outcomes you get when students are actually thinking.

Built for Real Classrooms

One of the things we appreciate most about NumberClub is how practical it is. It fits into a real teacher's week: 15 to 30 minutes, one to three times a week. The games are great  for whole-class instruction, small-group support, and intensive individual intervention. There's no lengthy onboarding, no training required, and no contracts locking you in.

They even offer a Happy Schools Guarantee: try it with your students for 14 days, and if it's not the right fit, you don't pay. 

Why Math is FigureOutAble Believes in This So Much

We talk a lot about what should be possible in math education. NumberClub is one of the clearest examples we've seen of those ideas brought to life in a product that kids actually love and teachers can actually use.

You now know we rarely endorse products. This is why: most tools don't actually deliver on the promise of mathematical thinking. They look engaging and seem productive, but underneath, they're still asking students to retrieve answers rather than build true fluency. NumberClub is genuinely different, and we wanted to put our support where our values are.

That's why Math is FigureOutAble is proud to share that we are a minority investor in NumberClub. We believe in what they're building, and we think it represents something genuinely important for kids everywhere.

If you're a teacher, a math coach, or a parent looking for something better than the same old math game treadmill, we'd encourage you to check it out.

Head over to numberclub.com and start a free trial today. No credit card required.

Your students' mathematical thinking will thank you.

Math is FigureOutAble is committed to a world where every learner believes they can figure out math. We only invest in and promote tools that reflect that mission. As noted above, Math is FigureOutAble holds a minority investment in NumberClub.