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Parents, if you’ve asked yourself: How will I ever be able to help my child with their maths work? Here are a few suggestions to help you!
Author
Amber Watkins
Published
February 2024
Try these 7 tips from a maths tutor on how to provide year 6 maths help to your child.
Author
Amber Watkins
Published
February 2024
Try these 7 tips from a maths tutor on how to provide year 6 maths help to your child.
Author
Amber Watkins
Published
February 2024
Key takeaways
“Mum, Dad, can you guys help me with my maths work?”
For some of us, hearing these words can cause a bit of trepidation. Rightfully so, it may have been well over a decade since we’ve been in a maths class ourselves and we may feel things have changed so much since we were in school. If that’s true in your case, don’t fret! You can successfully help your child succeed in maths.
Solving maths problems can often require using several skills at a time, while simultaneously having to remember different rules and follow multiple steps. This creates a lot of room for error! Making mistakes can cause your student to lose their confidence and ultimately their joy in learning maths. That’s where you come in! By the end of this guide, you will know how to help your child with maths.
Year 6 maths help can be simpler than you think. It just takes time, patience, and a bit of creativity. Take a look at our tutor recommended goals and try them out with your child this week.
Understand that your student isn’t looking for you to know everything. Your child is simply looking to you for support. That is something you know how to do! So help your student see that every mistake isn’t a failure, it’s simply a new opportunity to learn.
Goal: When your child gets an answer wrong, encourage them to keep going. And when your child gets an answer right, celebrate it! This will create a positive maths atmosphere and boost your child’s confidence in learning.
To provide maths help you don’t need to be an expert in year 6 maths, you just need to have an overview of what your child is learning. This way you can your child by keeping them on track. In year 6, your child will be learning the basics of multiplication, division and fractions. You can find a more detailed list of review topics in your child’s class syllabus, online on their class website, or by simply asking the teacher for the latest topics being discussed in class.
Goal: Take a few minutes each week to review what your child is currently learning in maths. If it’s a new topic that you’ve never heard of, that’s okay. Google it to get an overview. Again, the goal is to know, not to know it all!
Search for tools your student already has access to. You may have to do a bit of digging through their backpacks, but usually, the teacher will send home class notes, examples, and worksheets that have the steps to follow. Then do exactly that! You’ll be pleasantly surprised that your child knows how to do it but just needs a little help remembering what’s next.
Goal: Maths help doesn’t have to be complicated. Next time your child asks you for maths help, simply read the list of steps as they are completing the problem. And don’t forget, anytime they remember the next step ahead of you, commend them!
Many students will mentally check out if they think something doesn’t pertain to them. This is why we often hear the phrase, “When will we ever use this?” Your job is to show them. When you are calculating discounts at the store, getting measurements for your DIY projects, or checking the score during the game- you are using maths!
Goal: Next time you are involved in an everyday activity involving maths, try making a simple comment like, “Wow, maths made that easy for us today!” This will help your child to view maths skills as valuable and important!
The key to year 6 maths help is practising the basics. The most common topics that your student may be struggling with are fractions and negative numbers. Why? They can make even the easiest problems look intimidating. The solution? The more your child practises questions that include these topics, the less scary they will seem.
Goal: Find math reviews, maths games or maths apps that naturally include practice questions that support what your student is learning in class and have both positive and negative numbers, whole numbers, and fractions.
Help your child see the fun side of maths. Not only is maths practical, but it can be messy and sometimes silly too. The next time you think of practising maths with your child, think outside the box and include activities that make learning fun.
Goal: Plan one activity for you and your child to do together each week. Remember to keep the activities simple and try to make use of items you may already have in the house.
Have you considered using a maths app to supplement classroom instruction? The benefit is simple: your child will have access to a variety of year 6 maths questions that will be needed for them to succeed. Our app for maths help is loved by parents and students alike because it provides help in a way that makes maths fun, rewards effort over being correct, and scaffolds learning. Plus, you’ll get access to a dashboard that displays your child’s participation and progression on maths topics they struggle with. It’s like having access to a private tutor in your pocket.
Goal: Check out our maths app to see if this could provide your child the extra help with maths they need.
We know helping a student with maths can be hard so we’ve provided a few frequently asked questions many parents have when their child needs help with maths.
Losing confidence and enjoyment in learning can have a negative impact on performance.
Maths help can be simple. Encourage and create a positive math atmosphere, search for tools, help them see maths in the world around them, practise the basics, consider using a maths app, and enjoy fun learning activities!
Lesson credits
Amber Watkins
Amber is an education specialist with a degree in Early Childhood Education. She has over 12 years of experience teaching and tutoring students in maths. "Knowing that my work in maths education makes such an impact leaves me with an indescribable feeling of pride and joy!"
Amber Watkins
Amber is an education specialist with a degree in Early Childhood Education. She has over 12 years of experience teaching and tutoring students in maths. "Knowing that my work in maths education makes such an impact leaves me with an indescribable feeling of pride and joy!"
Amber Watkins
Amber is an education specialist with a degree in Early Childhood Education. She has over 12 years of experience teaching and tutoring students in maths. "Knowing that my work in maths education makes such an impact leaves me with an indescribable feeling of pride and joy!"
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