Menu
If you’re searching for ways to help a 3rd grader with math, you’ve come to the right place. Here are the top ten tips to bolster your child’s math skills and increase their confidence.
Author
Katie Wickliff
Published
July 18, 2023
If you’re searching for ways to help a 3rd grader with math, you’ve come to the right place. Here are the top ten tips to bolster your child’s math skills and increase their confidence.
Author
Katie Wickliff
Published
July 18, 2023
If you’re searching for ways to help a 3rd grader with math, you’ve come to the right place. Here are the top ten tips to bolster your child’s math skills and increase their confidence.
Author
Katie Wickliff
Published
July 18, 2023
Key takeaways
If your child’s math homework has you both dissolving into tears by the end of the night, don’t worry–you’re not alone! While learning differences such as dyslexia and dyscalculia contribute to math difficulties, many students without these diagnoses still struggle with math. In fact, research shows that pandemic disruption between 2020-2022 contributed to a significant decline in national math scores for 9-year-olds.
Students find math challenging for various reasons. For example, some struggle with math anxiety and feel overwhelmed when faced with a page full of problems. Some students might simply rush through their work. Some students need more practice to grasp certain concepts, and some may need the information presented differently.
No matter what specific challenge your student faces, this article outlines several ways parents and caregivers can give their child the 3rd grade math help they need to succeed.
Math help for 3rd graders can be simpler than you think. It just takes time, patience, and a bit of creativity. Take a look at our tips for 3rd grade math help and try them out with your child this week.
While it’s important for parents to acknowledge their child’s math difficulties or frustrations, avoid too much negativity–even if you disliked math as a child. Studies have shown that when parents speak positively about math, their children develop more confidence. If your child has a negative attitude towards math, try to reframe their mindset by showing them that math can be enjoyable.
Communication between school and home is essential to support your child’s math success. Don’t hesitate to ask your child’s teacher for a list of the topics covered in 3rd grade math. The more familiar you become with your school or district’s 3rd grade math curriculum, the more confident you’ll feel when helping your child at home. However, there’s no need to become an expert–teachers appreciate parents who want a partnership between school and home.
When communicating with your child’s teacher, emphasize your desire to help your child at home, and ask for specific areas where your child may need more support. If your child uses the DoodleMath app, the parent dashboard displays what topics your child is struggling with under Analyze → Understanding. In this view, you can see how well your child currently understands the curriculum content for their grade compared to their most recent baseline assessment.
Perhaps your child isn’t crazy about math but loves to read. Using books can bring math concepts to life. A few great illustrated picture books include “Pigeon Math” by Asia Citro, “Sir Cumference and the Roundabout Battle: A Math Adventure” by Cindy Neuschwander, and “The Boy Who Loved Math” by Deborah Heiligman.
For older students, middle-grade novels like “The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl” by Stacy McAnulty or “Solving for M” by Jennifer Swender seamlessly blend math concepts with unforgettable characters and stories.
Cooking with your child provides concrete examples of using fractions in real life. Let your child choose the recipe and lead the measuring process. While you’re having fun cooking together, you can subtly draw your child’s attention to fractions concepts, such as “We need ½ cup flour and ¼ cup sugar. Which ingredient do we need more of?”
Students need to memorize their basic facts to form a solid mathematical foundation. However, memorizing facts doesn’t have to be boring. After pinpointing what facts your child needs to practice, make up silly songs and rhymes or incorporate dance moves to cement their knowledge. Additionally, math apps are an engaging way for students to practice their facts.
In 3rd grade, students learn to tell time on digital and analog clocks. Use real-world examples to build time-telling skills, such as asking questions like, “It’s 8:30, and it takes ten minutes to get to soccer practice. What time will we get there?”
Art provides unlimited opportunities for 3rd grade math help. For example, explore geometric figures by creating a collage of unique shapes–rhombuses, parallelograms, and trapezoids. Paint mixing is a great way for kids to learn ratios and fractions, or use a variety of colors and mediums to create complex patterns.
Graphing is another important math concept in 3rd grade. Encourage your child’s natural curiosity by helping them develop survey questions for friends and family and then plotting the results.
We know how hard it is to watch your child struggle with math. However, avoid taking over too quickly. Instead, encourage your child to develop their problem-solving skills by asking questions like “What strategies can you use here?” Your child will feel supported and empowered to solve their own problems–in math and in life.
Private tutoring is one option to help support your child in math. Tutors can be a wonderful resource, providing focused support your child may not get in the classroom. However, tutors can also be quite expensive, and depending on your student’s specific challenges–may not be the best fit. Today’s math apps are expertly designed to engage young learners and can be an excellent supplemental resource. Plus, the best math apps come with a much lower price tag than hiring a private tutor.
We know helping a third grader with math can be hard so we’ve provided a few frequently asked questions many parents have when their child needs help with math.
Math help for 3rd graders can look different for each student. Helping your 3rd grader with math requires a positive mindset, communication between home and school, and leaning into your child’s strengths and interests to help make math fun.
In 3rd grade, students build upon the foundation of addition and subtraction by exploring multiplication and division. Third graders also begin to study fractions, often using pictures and number lines to help visualize this concept. Telling time and counting money are two other topics covered in third grade.
Lesson credits
Katie Wickliff
Katie holds a master’s degree in Education from the University of Colorado and a bachelor’s degree in both Journalism and English from The University of Iowa. She has over 15 years of education experience as a K-12 classroom teacher and Orton-Gillingham certified tutor. Most importantly, Katie is the mother of two elementary students, ages 8 and 11. She is passionate about math education and firmly believes that the right tools and support will help every student reach their full potential.
Katie Wickliff
Katie holds a master’s degree in Education from the University of Colorado and a bachelor’s degree in both Journalism and English from The University of Iowa. She has over 15 years of education experience as a K-12 classroom teacher and Orton-Gillingham certified tutor. Most importantly, Katie is the mother of two elementary students, ages 8 and 11. She is passionate about math education and firmly believes that the right tools and support will help every student reach their full potential.
Katie Wickliff
Katie holds a master’s degree in Education from the University of Colorado and a bachelor’s degree in both Journalism and English from The University of Iowa. She has over 15 years of education experience as a K-12 classroom teacher and Orton-Gillingham certified tutor. Most importantly, Katie is the mother of two elementary students, ages 8 and 11. She is passionate about math education and firmly believes that the right tools and support will help every student reach their full potential.
Parents, sign up for a DoodleMath subscription and see your child become a math wizard!
All rights reserved.
Book a chat with our team
If you’d like to use Doodle’s browser version, please visit this page on a desktop.
To log in to Doodle on this device, you can do so through our apps. You can find out how to download them here:
