Math for Love vs Math Mammoth
The sharpest difference is format: Math for Love is Hands-on, Math Mammoth is Workbook. Five more separate them, which puts real distance between the two.
At a glance
Math for Love
Grades K-5
Owners report it suits
Hands-on learnersReluctant learnersMath Mammoth
Grades 1-8
Owners report it suits
Independent workersMulti-age familiesMath-anxious parentsWhere they differ
| Attribute | Math for Love | Math Mammoth |
|---|---|---|
Parent involvement
?How much the parent is present and teaching. Where a program lands on the 1 to 5 scale:
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Prep load
?How much the parent prepares before a lesson. Where a program lands on the 1 to 5 scale:
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Independence
?How much the child can do alone. Where a program lands on the 1 to 5 scale:
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| Approach | Spiral | Mastery |
| Format | Hands-on | Workbook |
| Used as | Spine or supplement | Spine |
| Best for Tags show where owners consistently report a good fit. They are not exclusions. | Hands-on learnersReluctant learners | Independent workersMulti-age familiesMath-anxious parents |
| Method | Problem-solving/SocraticManipulative-driven | TraditionalConcrete-Pictorial-Abstract |
| Grades | K-5 | 1-8 |
Solid tags are unique to that program. Muted tags are carried by both.
Where they match
- Rigorboth on grade
- Screen timeboth fully offline
- Time commitmentboth 25 to 40 min
- Faith contentboth None
How each one plays by grade
Math Mammoth runs 3 grades further than Math for Love. If you want one program to carry the subject for the long haul, plan on leaving Math for Love around grade 5 and choosing again.
Math for Love
Grades K-5
The grade-level curriculum spans K-5 (supplemental PDFs reach grade 8), and the games range from preschool (Tiny Polka Dot) to upper elementary and up (Prime Climb).
Math Mammoth
Grades 1-8
Independence is gated by reading, not by math. Grades 1 and 2 are parent-led in practice despite the text being written to the student, and owners are blunt that the self-teaching framing oversells it for weak readers. Grade 4 is a difficulty spike. Grade 7 is a standalone pre-algebra course and grade 8 covers only part of Algebra 1, so families bridge to a different publisher for high school.
Cost
| Cost item | Math for Love | Math Mammoth |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Games $15-30; curriculum $179/grade | $42.50/grade digital, $225 for grades 1-8 |
| Consumable | No | Partial |
| Per child / year | ~$15-60 as enrichment, ~$179/grade as a spine | ~$42, or ~$28 buying the full bundle |
What parents report
Math for Love
Consistently praised
- Games like Prime Climb and Tiny Polka Dot make math fun
- Rich tasks and number talks build deep thinking
- Lessons differentiate for strugglers and racers
- Tons of free lessons and puzzles on the site
- Kids stop dreading math
Reported as challenges
- The curriculum PDFs are pricey at $179 a grade
- It reads as classroom-first, so homeschoolers adapt it
- Light on procedural drill
- Full lessons can run close to an hour
Math Mammoth
Consistently praised
- About forty dollars a grade
- Kids read the lesson and go
- Visual models explain the why
- Reprint pages for every sibling
- No teacher manual to manage
Reported as challenges
- Pages look busy and text heavy
- Too many problems per page, so parents curate
- Light on built-in review compared to spiral programs
- Stops at grade 8 with no high school path
Who Math for Love fits
Playful, conceptual math for families happy to lean on games and rich tasks. Parents who want a scripted, self-contained daily spine with built-in practice should treat it as enrichment and pair it with a core program.
Read the full Math for Love entry Check price Math for LoveWho Math Mammoth fits
Fits budget-minded families with several kids, parents who want math off their plate without a screen, and fluent readers who can absorb a written explanation and get to work. Families who want video instruction, scripted teaching, or a program that carries them through high school won't find it here, and neither will anyone whose child isn't reading well yet.
Read the full Math Mammoth entry Check price Math MammothSome links on this site are affiliate links. If you buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes how a curriculum is described or scored.
Still deciding?
Math for Love compared with
Descriptions aggregate what homeschool parents consistently report across public community sources together with each publisher's own materials. Prices and editions change over time. Both entries last reviewed July 2026.