If you’re struggling to help your child with
math homework, you are not alone. Many parents find it challenging to help
their kids resolve tricky math homework for a variety of reasons. It could be
that children are more distracted at home or less receptive to parental
involvement. It could also be that the methods of teaching many math concepts
has changed over the past several years. Whatever the reason, helping your child with homework can get
easier using these tips.
- Talk to your child. Start
an open dialogue on what the assignment is about, what their teacher has
asked them to complete and what they need to do to get the work done. When
you find the areas of difficulty, have your child walk through their
process to figure out what part of the concept or assignment isn’t
resonating. At this point, it is important to remind them it’s okay not to
know the answers. You want your child to feel comfortable talking about
their struggles and to reduce the embarrassment they may feel in
not knowing what to do
- Adopt a Growth Mindset. Help your child to process that
difficulties understanding are a part of learning and that you are there
to help them figure it out together. Show them how to keep calm and
overcome frustrations when they arise. Praise the efforts they make to
solve their own challenges but when they reach a frustration point,
encourage them to ask for help. Providing strategies to deal with failure
will allow them to feel empowered even when a situation is tough to get
through
- Look for “self-directed” solutions. Prompt your child with some questions to get them looking for
solutions and guidance on their own. Try some of these:
Where
should they start?
What
notes could they use?
Have
they done work like this before?
Could
you look for examples online?
- Make it FUN. Find ways to
engage your child so they actually want to tackle their homework.
Sometimes when their confidence is low, no amount of solution based
direction will get them feeling motivated. When you hit a roadblock like
that, try using creativity and games to draw them in. Talk about how math is used in daily life and try
getting out of your regular homework setting. If you’re working on
fractions or measurement, do some baking. If you’re working on measurement
conversions, hit the grocery store or try measuring your home. Anything
that gets them thinking about math in a real life way makes it more
interesting and shows why math is such a critical skill to learn.
- Ask guiding questions…. but
don’t give the answers. Resist the urge to provide the answers or the
solution on how to get to the answer. Ask questions that move them in the
right direction and get them thinking about how to apply the strategies
they have already learned.
- Look for outside help. If
you’ve spent some time working with your child, have tried creative ways
to engage them and they are still not grasping the work, it may be time to
seek outside help from a tutor. A qualified tutor can assess your child’s
learning style, diagnose knowledge gaps and determine which strategies
will help them best. Having a tutor to help get your child back on track
is a great option and it also provides the bonus of an ongoing homework
support when needed.
The most important thing you can do to help
your child with math homework is to maintain a positive attitude towards
seeking extra help and towards math in general. Model a growth
mindset and a desire to help them succeed. Building confidence can take time,
but if you work together, you will get there.
Mathnasium tutoring centres are made with your
child’s best interests in mind, so if you do need to seek more help with
homework, we are here for you. Check out our website
for more information on the unique ways that a Mathnasium instructor can be
your child's best homework ally.
