From “Ugh, IXL Again?” to “Can I Play IXL?” — How My Kids Went from Hating to Loving IXL

If you’ve ever tried IXL and your kids groaned the moment you opened it, trust me — I’ve been there. When my oldest started kindergarten, I introduced IXL as a little extra math practice. Back then, it was just a question-and-answer platform. You’d answer, and if you got it wrong, you’d lose points and move backward. If you got it right, you’d move forward. Simple… but not exactly exciting.

Over the years, we added more kids to our homeschool, and they all felt the same way:

“Do we have to do IXL today?”

But then something changed — and now, they actually ask for it.

1. IXL Has Evolved — Big Time

The IXL of today is a completely different experience from the one we started with. They’ve added:

• 🎥 Teaching videos that explain concepts before the questions begin.
• 🎮 Fun games for different topics and grade levels.
• ⚡ Fluency Zone, a newer feature that turns skill practice into a fast-paced, arcade-style challenge.

These additions make it feel more like interactive learning than just drills. My kids don’t even realize how much they’re practicing because they’re genuinely having fun.

They do still have the tried-and-true question-and-answer system that forms IXL’s foundation — the same format that’s helped millions of kids build strong math and language skills — but now it’s enhanced with these engaging, interactive features that keep learners motivated and excited.

2. It Complements Any Curriculum Perfectly

We don’t use IXL as our main curriculum, but it’s an amazing supplement. When we finish a math chapter and someone needs a little extra help on, say, fractions or geometry, IXL is our go-to. It reinforces the exact concepts we’re learning without me having to create new worksheets or find new resources.

And now, you can even align your specific curriculum inside IXL. Simply select your textbook or program, and IXL will match its lessons to your chapters — saving you tons of time.

3. Search and Learn Across All Grade Levels

One of my favorite features is the search bar at the top of the page. Type in a topic like perimeter, and you’ll see every IXL lesson on that subject across all grades.

That means if your child is learning perimeter in 4th grade but needs a quick review from 2nd or 3rd grade, you can jump right back to those lessons before returning to grade-level material. It’s like having an entire vertical learning path at your fingertips.

4. Focused Learning — Without the Fluff

Another reason I appreciate IXL is how focused it is. There are no hamsters to dress up, no fantasy battles, no unrelated mini-games.

Your child logs in to learn — math, science, language arts, or social studies — and that’s what they’ll do. If you’re looking for a platform that mixes in random entertainment, IXL isn’t it. But if you want clean, structured, gamified learning, it’s perfect.

5. Why My Kids (and I) Love It Now

At first, I was the one who liked IXL — because it worked. Now, my kids are the ones asking to log on, especially to play the new fluency and skill-based games.

It’s become one of our favorite educational tools — something that motivates my kids to practice and actually master what they’re learning.

Final Thoughts

IXL has truly transformed from a simple question-bank tool into a full-featured learning platform. Between the teaching videos, curriculum alignment, topic search, and gamified features — it’s an excellent way to keep learning fun, focused, and effective.

If you haven’t tried it in a few years, give it another look. You might be as surprised as we were — and your kids might even thank you for it.