Balance Builder
Balance the scale to learn equality, missing numbers and early algebra.
A balance scale sits at the center of Balance Builder, and the child has one job: make it level. At first that means adding blocks until both pans match. Later the pans hold mystery bags, and the child works out how much one bag weighs. The scale tilts to show which side is too heavy, so the equal sign becomes something a child can see.
The game runs from first grade number sense up to equations with x on both sides, so it can grow with a child across several years. Every level repeats the same habit: whatever you do to one side, do to the other. That habit is the heart of solving equations.
What children practice
- Understand the equal sign as two sides that weigh the same
- Build a total up to 20 from 1, 2, 5 and 10 blocks
- Find the missing number in addition, subtraction and multiplication facts
- Solve for an unknown such as x + 6 = 15
- Solve two step equations by doing the same thing to both sides
- Work with x on both sides and with balloons that stand for negative numbers
Levels
- Same on both sides: Blocks to 10
- Make it balance: To 20
- Missing number: ? and ×
- Mystery bag: x + 6 = 15
- Two steps: 2x + 4 = 14
- Equal expressions: 3x + 2 = x + 12
How it works
- Six levels start with blocks to 10 and finish with equal expressions such as 3x + 2 = x + 12.
- Depending on the level, the child taps a number, adds blocks with plus and minus buttons and presses Check, or chooses the best first move.
- The scale tilts toward the heavier pan, and a gentle hint says how much too heavy or too light the pan is.
- Every puzzle has a speaker button for hearing the instructions read aloud.
Best for: A good fit for grades 1 to 8, from a first grader learning that both sides are equal to a middle schooler meeting variables.
Tip for parents: At home, try a seesaw or a kitchen scale. Ask what happens when you take one block off the left side, and what you would have to do on the right to keep it level.
Questions parents ask
Is this a good lead in to algebra?
Yes, the later levels use identical sacks marked x, two step equations and unknowns on both sides. The explanation after each puzzle shows the move of doing the same thing to both sides, which is the core step in solving equations.
My child is only in first grade. Will it be too hard?
Level 1 shows blocks on two pans and asks how many more to add so they match, with totals to 10. Children can stay on the early levels as long as they like, and harder levels open only after they succeed.
What are the balloons?
From Level 6, a balloon marked with a negative number lifts a pan instead of weighing it down. It gives children a picture for canceling a negative amount before they solve for x.
Ready to try it?
Balance Builder is free with a parent account. A parent adds a child profile, and the child's progress is saved.