Fingu is a game and a game platform using virtual manipulatives designed to help children develop competence and fluency with basic number combinations. We present results from an intervention lasting for seven to nine weeks, in which 82 children (5, 6, and 7 years old) were allowed to play the game as part of their ordinary preschool or school activities. The results showed significant positive differences between pre- and post-tests in four arithmetic measures, with moderate to large effect sizes. In contrast, most differences between post-tests and delayed post-tests were non-significant, with low or no effect sizes.

One of the key goals for mathematics education around the world is to ensure all children’s proficiency with numbers and more generally to have a flexible and adaptive understanding and knowledge of arithmetic. Game-based learning environments are means to support the development of such competence. In this paper we describe our design-based research on Fingu, an application that targets the understanding and mastering of the basic numbers 1 to 10 as part-whole relations. The aim of this paper is to present the design rationale of Fingu and empirical research conducted in Swedish pre-school and primary school settings.

Fingu is a game and a game platform aimed at helping children 4 to 8 years old develop competence and fluency with basic addition combinations. We present results from an eight week intervention, where children, 5-, 6-, and 7 years old, have been allowed to play the game as part of their ordinary pre-school and school activities. Results show significant positive differences between pre- and post-tests in four arithmetic measures with modest to large effect sizes. In contrast most differences between post-tests and delayed-tests, when the children did not play the game, are non-significant with none or low effect sizes. Design principles and results are discussed with special emphasis on children who “struggle to learn math”.