Free for teachers

Virtual math manipulatives

Ask Sparky for base ten blocks, fraction strips, pattern blocks, algebra tiles, a geoboard or a number line, and get a manipulative your students can drag and build with on any screen.

A teacher asks Sparky for base ten blocks her 2nd graders can drag around. Beside the chat, the builder Sparky made shows a number to build, 34, with two tens and fourteen ones on the workspace and a Trade 10 Ones → 1 Ten button

Used by 250,000+ teachers, and built to FERPA, COPPA and GDPR standards.

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How Sparky builds a virtual manipulative

  1. Name the manipulative and the grade

    Type one line, such as "base ten blocks my 2nd graders can drag around". Add the skill you're teaching if you have one, like regrouping or equivalent fractions.

  2. Get pieces students can move

    Sparky builds the manipulative beside the chat: a tray of pieces, a space to work in, and labels or counts that change as students move pieces.

  3. Ask for a change

    Ask for a number to build, a trade button or a second row, and Sparky changes the same manipulative. Project it, or share it with your class.

Manipulatives Sparky can build

  • Base ten blocks

    Hundreds, tens and ones that students drag onto a workspace, with a count of each and the total. Ten ones trade for a ten, and the total stays the same.

  • Fraction strips and fraction bars

    A fraction wall from one whole down to twelfths. Students click a piece, a line drops across every strip, and the fractions that end there are listed: 1/2 = 2/4 = 3/6 = 4/8.

  • Pattern blocks

    All six classic blocks, sized so their sides match. Students drag them out, turn them in 30° steps and find how many triangles cover a hexagon.

  • Algebra tiles

    Positive and negative x², x and unit tiles on a mat. The expression under the mat combines like terms as students add tiles, so a +1 and a −1 cancel.

  • Geoboard

    A board of pegs. Students click from peg to peg to stretch a band, close it into a shape, and layer shapes in different colors to compare area.

  • Number line

    A line from −20 to 20. Students pick a start and a jump, press Add or Subtract, and a frog hops to the answer as the equation fills in: 3 + 4 = 7.

What students can do with them

  • Pieces from a tray that never runs out

    Students drag a block or tile from the tray, move it around the workspace, or remove it. The tray never empties, so there are always more.

  • Totals that update as students build

    Every move changes what students see: the tens and the total for base ten blocks, the expression for algebra tiles, the equation on the number line.

  • A number to build, checked

    Ask for a challenge and Sparky adds a number to build. When the blocks match it, students see a celebration, and New Number gives them another.

  • Clicks as well as drags

    Students who find dragging hard can click a pattern block or an algebra tile to add it, or press Enter on a base ten block.

  • Print it or share it

    Press Print for a paper copy of what's on screen, or Share to open the manipulative to your class.

  • Changes made to the same manipulative

    Ask Sparky for a change and it updates the manipulative in place. The arrows above it go back to earlier versions.

Data privacy

Safe to use with student work

What happens to the files you upload and what your students write in Flint.

Read our security page
  • Not used to train AI

    Student data in Flint is never used to train AI models.

  • Not shared

    Flint does not share student data, or any other user data, with third parties.

  • Kept separate

    Each school's data is kept apart from every other school's, and the AI providers Flint runs on can't reach it.

  • Signed agreements, on request

    Flint signs a data processing agreement with any school that needs one, written to US state law and EU GDPR.

What teachers say about Flint

  • "My students are able to engage in interactive lessons that challenge them without overwhelming them. AI has made it easier for them to understand concepts by providing immediate feedback, allowing them to learn from their mistakes in real-time."

    Rooban Arumugam headshot

    Rooban Arumugam

    Lower School Math and English Teacher at SJK(T) Selama

  • "I have used Flint as a differentiated tool to help with different levels of math skills in my classroom. These activities really helped them come up to the standard of what we are working on right now. This was super helpful."

    Lakshmi Saravanan headshot

    Lakshmi Saravanan

    Math Teacher at American International School Chennai

  • "Overall, my life has become much easier and streamlined with Flint. Flint has allowed me to spend less time planning and more time focusing on student interaction and reflection."

    Bradley Evans Headshots

    Bradley Evans

    6th Grade Math Teacher at American School of Milan

Frequently asked questions

Are these virtual manipulatives free?

Yes, they're free for teachers.

What are math manipulatives?

Objects students move to model a math idea, such as blocks for place value or strips for fractions. Virtual manipulatives work the same way on a screen, so a whole class can see the same pieces on the board.

What are base ten blocks?

Ones are small cubes, tens are rods of ten cubes and hundreds are flats of one hundred. Students build a number from them, and trading ten ones for a ten shows what regrouping means.

Can students use them on their own devices?

Yes. Press Share and open the manipulative to one of your classes, or to anyone with the link. Students open it on their own screens and move the pieces themselves.

Can I print a manipulative?

Press Print above it to print it as it looks on screen. For cut-out fraction strips or a paper number line, ask Sparky for a printable version.

Can I change a manipulative after Sparky makes it?

Yes. Ask for a number to build, a trade button or bigger pieces, and Sparky updates the same manipulative. The arrows above it go back to earlier versions.

Learning feels different when it fits you.