The Daily Digits curriculum was designed by a team of educators and mathematicians to help students build math fluency in a way that feels natural, intuitive, and fun. At the core of the program is a simple idea: fluency isn’t just about speed — it’s about confidence, flexibility, and the ability to apply math in many situations. Daily Digits blends traditional math fact practice with visual problem-solving to give students both strong number sense and the problem-solving skills they need for higher-level math.
The Fluency Index
The Daily Digits Fluency Index tracks student progress across their full fluency journey. Students begin at different points depending on their grade and skill level, and move forward as they master each stage. The following is a summary of the subjects covered at each Fluency Index range:
- 0–20: Counting up to 20, number recognition, and early addition and place value concepts.
- 20–40: Addition and subtraction fact fluency using visual and derived strategies, whole number place value, and introduction to multiplication.
- 40–60: Derived strategies for multiplication and division facts, with continued reinforcement of addition, subtraction, and place value.
- 60–80: Mastery of multiplication and division facts, addition and subtraction facts with advanced problems solving, and early intuition around fractions and decimals.
- 80–100: Reinforcement of basic math facts and fraction knowledge with advanced problem solving, introduction to algebraic thinking, order of operations, and negative numbers.
- 100–120: Advanced problem-solving that integrates all prior skills and knowledge with flexible thinking.
Building Deep Understanding Through Adaptive Learning
Daily Digits is intentionally designed to avoid a simple linear sequence of topics. As students build new skills, earlier concepts continue to appear in more complex, meaningful ways. A student learning multiplication facts will still encounter addition and subtraction, but now applied to more challenging problem-solving tasks that require deeper reasoning and mental flexibility.
Even students in upper grades may continue practicing core facts, but always embedded within advanced problems that demand flexible thinking, multi-step reasoning, and deeper understanding. This adaptive cycling helps students strengthen connections between concepts, apply skills in varied contexts, and develop the kind of flexible number sense that supports success in higher mathematics. By constantly revisiting and extending earlier learning, Daily Digits helps ensure that knowledge is retained, applied, and deeply understood.
Problem-Solving at Every Step
A unique aspect of Daily Digits is the use of visual problem-solving tasks to reinforce math fact knowledge and number sense. In the Engineer It puzzle shown below, students apply their understanding of multiples of 2, addition facts, and spatial reasoning to build dotted patterns that meet specific design goals. These kinds of tasks help students not only review math facts and deepen their conceptual understanding, but also develop mental flexibility, perseverance, and the confidence to tackle more complex problems.
Built for Real Classrooms
We know teachers are busy and don’t need one more complicated system to manage. Daily Digits was designed to be simple, flexible, and easy to use from day one. Each session takes just 5–10 minutes and fits naturally into classroom routines—as a warm-up, center activity, independent practice, or even homework.
Many students choose to play Daily Digits every day in their free time simply because it’s fun. And each day they complete Daily Digits, they unlock access to the full Tile Farm Academy platform—with a rich collection of puzzles, games, and creative activities that strengthen their skills, build confidence, and deepen their love of math.
Early Impact
Daily Digits was originally developed with a grant from the National Science Foundation and a prototype was piloted in over 90 elementary schools across Albuquerque Public Schools during the 2024-25 school year. Teachers reported not only increased engagement and excitement for math, but also noticeable improvements in student confidence, problem-solving, and even test performance. Many described it as one of the few math programs that truly reached all students — from those building foundational skills to those ready for more advanced challenges.
“It’s incredible how students explore, test, correct, and progress, making them feel more capable and responsible for their learning.”
— Norma Quiñonez, 5th Grade Teacher, Albuquerque, NM
See It For Yourself
Daily Digits, part of the broader Tile Farm Academy platform, is simple to use, easy to implement, and ready to make an immediate difference in your classroom. Reach out to learn more about how it can fit into your school or district.