How to play
Each puzzle shows a balance scale and a small set of numbers on one side. A target box hovers above the empty pan and you tap the number from a tray that makes the two sides balance — that number is the mean of the set. Tap correctly and the scale tilts level with a soft chime; tap incorrectly and the pan dips momentarily while a hint adds the numbers up and divides by the count. Set sizes grow from two values to six, with whole-number means throughout.
What your child will learn
- Read and interpret data displays
- Draw conclusions from data
Skills practiced
- Data literacy
- Critical thinking
Why this age range
Built for grades 4–5 because that's when statistics first enters the curriculum and when division facility is reliable enough to make the arithmetic painless. Earlier grades can play the smallest sets (mean of two numbers is straightforward) but won't get the underlying concept; older children benefit from the full range and can transition smoothly into median and mode in later grades.
Curriculum standards
- CCSS.MATH.3.MD.B.3
- CCSS.MATH.6.SP.A.1
Notes for parents
Mean is the first statistic most children meet, and the balance-scale framing matters more than the formula. A child who can chant "add them up and divide by how many" but can't say why the answer balances the set hasn't really learned the mean — they've memorised a procedure. Great Balance flips that: the balance is the definition, and the arithmetic falls out of it. Encourage your child to predict before tapping; the prediction is the mathematics.