Maths is thinking, noticing, trying and checking. When the sums along the way take less effort, children have more attention left for that.
In Sumlia
Short daily calculation practice, so the thinking part of maths gets their full attention.
Early access · English version
Help your child see their own progress in maths.
Sumlia is a calculation app for children aged about 6 to 11. A session takes 5 to 10 minutes. Each result is shown next to your child’s own earlier work, never next to anyone else’s.
In use in Japan today. The English version is the same app.
If one of our posts brought you here
Every post comes from the same idea.
We post about how children learn maths, about calculation, and about talking with your child at home. Sumlia is where the three meet, a few minutes every day.
Understanding a method is the start. Practice carries on until it comes easily, beginning with what they can already do.
In Sumlia
Levels start where it feels easy and stay on a calculation until it comes smoothly. Calculations from earlier years are part of that. Later maths is full of them, so making them smooth gives a firmer footing for what comes next.
Describe what they did. Ask instead of ordering. Notice the day they come back after a break.
In Sumlia
Each week the parent view suggests one line to say, based on how practice went. Samuri talks to your child in the same way.
What the sums are for
Getting quicker is one mark on the wall.
A worksheet tells you how many answers were right. Sumlia keeps track of more than that, because these are what carry on long after this year’s maths.
Room to thinkWhen sums come easily, attention is free for what the question is really asking.
“I couldn’t. Now I can.”Seeing that change in their own record teaches a child that being stuck can mean “not yet”.
Coming backA return after a break counts as a step of its own.
Taking on harder sumsMoving up to harder calculations is noticed as growth too.
Fixing a mistakeA mistake shows what to practise next. Putting it right is progress.
Knowing how they learnWhich time of day works, which sums feel easy: children start to see their own way of learning.
Past “I get it”
Practice that carries on until it feels easy.
Getting a sum right and having it come easily are different things. Sumlia keeps practising each calculation through these stages.
- I see how it works
- I get it right
- I don’t have to stop and think
- It feels easy
For a child who finds maths hard, that means making what they can do solid, rather than doing more of what they can’t. For a child who already scores well but works hard for it, it means getting there with room to spare.
- A short starting check finds the level where it feels easy.
- Each answer is marked as they go, and they can look back over the ones they missed.
- Results sit beside their own first try and personal best. Never beside other children.
Results Addition · Level 12
New personal best!
Time taken2:41
vs last time−1:08
Accuracy10/10
Average seconds per question, last 6 sessions
Samuri, the bird
What does your child say to themselves on a hard day?
Sumlia has two parts. One is the calculation practice. The other is Samuri’s voice. Its job is to give children words they can say to themselves when they get stuck, make a mistake or come back after a break.
- Praises only what really happened, like a corrected answer or a day they came back.
- Compares only with your child’s own past.
- Never points out a drop in speed or accuracy.
- Says one thing at a time.
For parents
A line for you, too.
You don’t need to sit beside them. Each week the parent view looks at how practice went and suggests one thing to say before they start and one thing to say after they finish.
The line that fits right nowFirst weeks
Before they start
What time today would be the easiest to start?
After they finish
You picked the time yourself. That is what makes it last.
Feel free to reword it in your own voice. How calmly it is said carries more than the exact wording.
What’s inside
Calculation, from first sums to ratio.
- Number order
- Addition and subtraction
- Place value
- Times tables
- Division with remainders
- Fractions
- Decimals
- Order of operations
- Averages
- Percentages
- Ratio and proportion
Narrow on purpose
Sumlia covers calculation only. There are no word problems and no geometry. Keeping it narrow keeps each session short, and leaves your child’s thinking for the rest of maths.
Works on iPhone, iPad, Android and any web browser. Add it to the home screen to open it like an app.
What you won’t find
- Leaderboards or rankings
- Other children’s scores
- Points, coins or prizes to collect
Early access
Be first to try Sumlia in English.
Questions
Isn’t this just speed drills?
No. Speed is one of the marks Sumlia records, and it is only ever compared with your child’s own past. The aim is that sums stop getting in the way of thinking, and that your child sees their own progress along the way.
Who is Sumlia for?
Children aged about 6 to 11. It suits children who are starting to find maths hard, children who score well but work hard to get there, and families who want a short daily habit.
Why practise calculations from earlier years?
Later maths is full of earlier sums. The more easily those come, the more attention is left for new ideas. Practising them is finishing them off, not going backwards.
When will the English version be available?
We’re preparing it now. Everyone on the early-access list hears first, by email.
What does it cost?
Joining the early-access list is free, and nothing is charged. You’ll see the price before you choose a paid plan.
How involved do I need to be?
The app is built so you can step back. A word at the start, or a look at the week together, can be enough.
Which devices does it work on?
iPhone, iPad, Android and web browsers. For the best experience, add Sumlia to the home screen of a phone or tablet.
Can siblings share one account?
For now, one account is for one child.
What happens to my email?
We use it only to send early-access updates. See our Privacy Policy.