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Child Struggling with Math? 12 Signs and 7 Ways to Help

Written by Jordan Nisbet

Help support your child with Prodigy Math

Use Prodigy's parent account to set learning goals and give rewards.

• Parent Resources
• What causes children to struggle with math
• Common signs among children struggling with math
• How to help your child struggling with math

Many parents around the world -- like yourself -- have a child struggling with math . Without proper resources or a solid support system, this reality can be daunting.

But, don’t worry because you’re not alone! One of the most common complaints among children who dislike math is it’s too difficult or that they’re not smart enough. Sadly, this belief is one that can severely impact any child’s success in mathematics.

Parents often remark the causes and symptoms can vary from child to child, which is why we’ll outline and help you understand:

• How parents and teachers can help a child struggling with math

Let's start helping your child succeed, instead of struggle, with math. 👇

3 Main causes of a child struggling with math

Math can be hard because it’s a cumulative subject — it builds upon itself year after year. This is why so many parents worry when their kids appear to get disengaged with or disconnected from math.

It’s vital for parents to know this doesn’t necessarily mean their child lacks intelligence or drive. Believe it or not, kids who have trouble understanding math are often putting in a great deal of effort — mentally and physically.

So, what exactly causes a child to struggle with math? Research has narrowed the answer down to three things:

Lacking building blocks

As mentioned earlier, math is cumulative, so learning and understanding the basics is a must. If a child falls behind in one area due to a lack of understanding, moving on to more advanced topics will remain a challenge.

For example, if a child doesn’t yet understand the foundational knowledge of addition, it will be very difficult for them to grasp the concept of multiplication .

In 2015, the University of Akron published a study called “The Importance of a Strong Mathematical Foundation”. Researchers tested 39 ninth and tenth graders on fractions, ratios, and proportions. Participants had to complete questions ranging from third to seventh grade.

Only seven participants were able to pass the assessment. Seeing these results, study author Jasmine Wriston wrote:

[Students] were simply being taught mathematics concepts correlating to their current grade level and not based on the current mathematical knowledge they brought to class. Due to this, students were not mastering each grade level standard before continuing onto higher level instruction. This lack of mastery creates huge gaps in student understanding, hindering students from making the necessary content connections and gaining conceptual understanding.

Math anxiety

In the midst of hardship, it’s easy to feel as though we’re the only ones going through a certain problem. For parents of a child struggling with math, it’s no different. And while alarming, we hope parents everywhere find comfort in knowing their child is not the only one who may experience anxiety when it comes to math.

A feeling of tension and anxiety that interferes with the manipulation of numbers and the solving of mathematical problems in a wide variety of ordinary life and academic situations.

In fact, our guide to overcoming math anxiety highlights that around 93% of adult Americans experience math anxiety to varying degrees while 17% of Americans overall suffer from high levels of math anxiety.

Symptoms of math anxiety can include:

• Lack of response
• Low achievement
• Negative self-talk
• Feeling of permanency
• Intense emotional reactions
• Physiological effects like nervousness, clammy hands, increased heart rate, upset stomach and lightheadedness

And, for this reason, children can struggle with math from childhood all the way into adulthood.

Learning difficulties

There are numerous mathematics learning disabilities, including one of the more common ones: dyscalculia . Other names for it include math or number dyslexia .

According to Dr. Daniel Ansari , a professor in developmental cognitive neuroscience at Canada’s Western University, children with dyscalculia:

• Often struggle with working memory
• Have trouble remembering math facts
• May understand the logic behind math facts, but not how or when to apply their knowledge to solve problems
• May not understand quantities or concepts like biggest versus smallest, or the difference between the word  five  and numeral  5

Researchers aren’t entirely sure what causes dyscalculia but suspect it’s linked to the brain’s structure and function. Because there can be various factors involved — like one’s development, environment, genetic makeup or injury — how the symptoms show will likely vary as no two children are the same.

12 Signs of children struggling with math

1. expresses negative comments about math.

It can be tough to spot a child struggling with math. One of the more visible signs lies in what they say about the subject.

When your child says things like “I hate math” or “I’m not good at math,” and tries to avoid math-related activities, it’s usually a sign that they are struggling with the subject.

2. Gets anxious around math

Be it during a class, a test or working on a homework assignment, your child grows increasingly anxious when it’s time to do math.

Even though they may understand the concepts, math anxiety results in them forgetting what they’ve learned or how to apply them when the time comes.

3.  Grades that are lower in math but higher in other subjects

Whether you hear it from a teacher or see it on their report card, your child performs well in every subject — except math.

Lower math grades may lead them to focus on subjects they’re already succeeding in, and spend little time practicing or studying math.

4. Trouble connecting math families

As students learn more math facts, they should begin to see the relationship between certain numbers and equations.

Your child may be struggling with math if they do not see the connection between, for example, 2+3=5 and 5-3=2 .

5. Difficulty managing time

Time management is difficult for many people, including adults, so this sign can seem somewhat vague. Pay attention to see if your child has any trouble judging increments of time, adhering to set schedules, or reading clocks — analog or digital.

6. Trouble applying math concepts to real-world problems

Your child may grasp math concepts, but have a hard time seeing how they apply to things outside of the classroom. For example:

• Finding out how many days remain until their birthday
• Calculating the cost of something and how much change they should get back
• Determining how much of a certain ingredient to use when helping you prepare food

P.S. Did you know that Prodigy Math features over 50,000 teacher-made questions that include real-world problems?

7. Mental math difficulty

While it can be helpful in early years, working out math problems using fingers to count could be a sign your child is struggling with math.

This is because as children get older, they’ll encounter bigger numbers and more advanced equations that require mental math practices — something that finger counting can discourage.

8. Doesn’t try to find alternative approaches to problems

The moment a roadblock arises when tackling a math problem, your child may get discouraged and move on before thinking about — or trying — another potential solution.

9. Trouble with basic math concepts and fact recall

Memory could have a significant impact on thinking with numbers. Despite having been taught foundational math concepts and facts in the past, your child has trouble remembering and applying them appropriately.

10. Trouble learning advanced math concepts and facts

Due to mathematics’ cumulative nature, making connections between prior and new lessons is key.

Having difficulty when building upon earlier math concepts will limit a child’s ability to anchor new math skills in a meaningful, long-lasting way.

11. Difficulty paying attention

Every child learns differently — some can sit down at a desk and complete certain tasks, while others benefit from a more active, hands-on output.

If your child gets fidgety, loses their place in a problem, or seems mentally tired when doing math, they may be struggling with (the particular way they’re doing) math.

12. Not hitting milestones

Generally, children hit certain math milestones around the same age — but sometimes, they have trouble developing these skills at the same rate and fall behind.

Students in 1st and 2nd grade, for example, may struggle as they move on from counting by ones to twos, fives, and tens, while others pick it up with ease.

Tip: Use Prodigy's free parent account to get monthly reports about your child's math progress as they play Prodigy Math. See how it works here!

Check out the infographic below outlining math milestones and what you can expect at different ages!

Click to expand

How to help a child struggling with math (in 7 ways)

As a parent, one of your biggest goals is to help your child succeed. It’s important to remember, however, that the first step to solving a problem is identifying it.

Having awareness of the signs above will help you identify any problems your child may be experiencing with math.

And to take it a step further, we’ve outlined seven tips you can use at home to help transform math into a subject your child loves instead of fears!

Make math fun

For some children, all it takes is a change in perspective to transform math from something feared into something loved. A traditional pen-and-paper approach won’t always work and that’s when you need to get creative.

Tip: Consider reintroducing math to your child through a game-based lens. This can take on many forms like word problems , math books , math apps and more.

Or, try Prodigy Math — the engaging, curriculum-aligned math app used by over 100 million students and teachers. All in-game educational content is free and accessible at home or in class.

🌟 Plus, there are Membership plans available to maximize math practice and help you support your child's learning journey with ease. Becoming a member will unlock extra in-game rewards for your child and give you access to new parent features like Goals and Rewards, Practice Areas and Practice Sheets.

Find daily applications

Math is all around us and exists in our everyday lives, but do your children know that? Incorporating math into their day-to-day routine can help them understand — and appreciate — its relevance.

So, what are you waiting for? Start learning by doing!

Tip: Involve your child when it comes to activities like shopping, cooking, or gardening! Each of these real world applications involve numbers, facts, and concepts which can help solidify knowledge and understanding, as well as enjoyment in math.

Practice with your child daily

On the surface, this tip may seem as simple as sitting beside your child while they do homework and ensuring they complete it. But, involvement in your child’s education has many benefits.

According to author and developmental psychologist Rebecca Fraser-Thill, parental involvement fosters academic achievement, improves social skills, and can increase self-esteem.

Tip: Set aside time to practice math for as little as 10 minutes each night. This will help reinforce what they’re learning in class and keep foundational concepts front-of-mind as teachers introduce them to more advanced concepts in class. Even if your child doesn’t have any math homework, try our free, colorful and printable worksheets:

• 20 Telling Time Worksheets
• 20 Addition Worksheets
• 20 Long Division Worksheets
• 20 Multiplication Worksheets
• 19 Order of Operations Worksheets

Identify problem areas

If you can identify them yourself, amazing! If not, get in touch with your child’s teacher for a more intimate and accurate idea of how you can help increase your child’s ability to succeed.

Tip: Working with your child’s teacher, come up with an at-home action plan. This is also an excellent opportunity to share the types of learning that works best for your child at home — something their teacher may not know.

Adopt a positive attitude

While children can have negative attitudes toward math, your attitude toward the subject may need to change first. A 2017 study in School Science and Mathematics found that parents’ attitude toward mathematics can significantly predict students’ attitudes toward mathematics.

Most of the time, the negative attitude is simply because the students have told themselves they cannot do mathematics; they are never going to use it anyways; and so forth. School-based factors are compounded when they are reinforced at home, such as parents’ negative attitudes toward mathematics.

Tip: Even if you find math tricky, try your best to maintain a positive mindset about it around your child. Encourage your child when they get stuck and attempt to work through the problem together until you arrive at a solution! By practicing this, parents can become a positive influence on their child’s attitude toward math. As a result, this can increase children’s overall achievement and interest in math well into adulthood.

Get a tutor

Some parents have been out of school for a long time and are unfamiliar with certain teaching strategies. Others simply don’t feel comfortable being the “teacher” at home. This is why some parents consider going the online tutoring route.

Math Geek Mama outlines some helpful ways to find a math tutor for your child!

• Word of mouth from friends or family
• Check library or community centre bulletin boards
• Ask your child’s teacher or school counselor
• Find a local or online tutor using websites

Tip: A great way to make tutoring go further is to set learning goals and rewards with your child. If your child has a Prodigy Math Membership, you can set learning goals for them to achieve in our fun, engaging math game. When they successfully complete a goal, they'll receive in-game reward of your choice!

Look into potential learning disabilities

If your child does have a learning disability, the sooner you seek help the better!

It can be challenging to address and diagnose but, in the long run, receiving prompt and appropriate support can help ensure the best educational journey possible for your child.

Tip: If you haven’t already been contacted, connect with your child’s teacher or school administrator(s) to discuss how they can help. As learning disabilities tend to be identified in school, they may use a process called response to intervention to help pinpoint whether or not a child has a learning disability.

Final thoughts: Is your child struggling with math?

Struggling with math can make children feel like they’re not smart and affect their self-esteem. However, this is a common struggle.

What’s more, there are practical ways to help as you can see!One of the greatest things you can do today is to let them know that everyone struggles — even you — and that everyone also has strengths!

Share a personal example of a time you struggled with math and, if possible, how you overcame it. Then, try incorporating some of the helpful tips listed above.

Math may be a struggle, but going on this journey together will help increase your child’s confidence and motivate them to keep trying!

You want your child to succeed in math. We can help.

Yes, Prodigy Math Game is a curriculum-aligned, fantasy-inspired platform used by many kids. But it also comes with incredibly valuable tools and features for parents like you. Watch the one-minute video below:

Ready to motivate your and help support them along the way?

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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, how to do homework: 15 expert tips and tricks.

Coursework/GPA

Everyone struggles with homework sometimes, but if getting your homework done has become a chronic issue for you, then you may need a little extra help. That’s why we’ve written this article all about how to do homework. Once you’re finished reading it, you’ll know how to do homework (and have tons of new ways to motivate yourself to do homework)!

We’ve broken this article down into a few major sections. You’ll find:

• A diagnostic test to help you figure out why you’re struggling with homework
• A discussion of the four major homework problems students face, along with expert tips for addressing them
• A bonus section with tips for how to do homework fast

By the end of this article, you’ll be prepared to tackle whatever homework assignments your teachers throw at you .

So let’s get started!

How to Do Homework: Figure Out Your Struggles 

Sometimes it feels like everything is standing between you and getting your homework done. But the truth is, most people only have one or two major roadblocks that are keeping them from getting their homework done well and on time. 

The best way to figure out how to get motivated to do homework starts with pinpointing the issues that are affecting your ability to get your assignments done. That’s why we’ve developed a short quiz to help you identify the areas where you’re struggling. 

Take the quiz below and record your answers on your phone or on a scrap piece of paper. Keep in mind there are no wrong answers! 

1. You’ve just been assigned an essay in your English class that’s due at the end of the week. What’s the first thing you do?

A. Keep it in mind, even though you won’t start it until the day before it’s due  B. Open up your planner. You’ve got to figure out when you’ll write your paper since you have band practice, a speech tournament, and your little sister’s dance recital this week, too.  C. Groan out loud. Another essay? You could barely get yourself to write the last one!  D. Start thinking about your essay topic, which makes you think about your art project that’s due the same day, which reminds you that your favorite artist might have just posted to Instagram...so you better check your feed right now. 

2. Your mom asked you to pick up your room before she gets home from work. You’ve just gotten home from school. You decide you’ll tackle your chores: 

A. Five minutes before your mom walks through the front door. As long as it gets done, who cares when you start?  B. As soon as you get home from your shift at the local grocery store.  C. After you give yourself a 15-minute pep talk about how you need to get to work.  D. You won’t get it done. Between texts from your friends, trying to watch your favorite Netflix show, and playing with your dog, you just lost track of time! 

3. You’ve signed up to wash dogs at the Humane Society to help earn money for your senior class trip. You: 

A. Show up ten minutes late. You put off leaving your house until the last minute, then got stuck in unexpected traffic on the way to the shelter.  B. Have to call and cancel at the last minute. You forgot you’d already agreed to babysit your cousin and bake cupcakes for tomorrow’s bake sale.  C. Actually arrive fifteen minutes early with extra brushes and bandanas you picked up at the store. You’re passionate about animals, so you’re excited to help out! D. Show up on time, but only get three dogs washed. You couldn’t help it: you just kept getting distracted by how cute they were!

4. You have an hour of downtime, so you decide you’re going to watch an episode of The Great British Baking Show. You: 

A. Scroll through your social media feeds for twenty minutes before hitting play, which means you’re not able to finish the whole episode. Ugh! You really wanted to see who was sent home!  B. Watch fifteen minutes until you remember you’re supposed to pick up your sister from band practice before heading to your part-time job. No GBBO for you!  C. You finish one episode, then decide to watch another even though you’ve got SAT studying to do. It’s just more fun to watch people make scones.  D. Start the episode, but only catch bits and pieces of it because you’re reading Twitter, cleaning out your backpack, and eating a snack at the same time.

5. Your teacher asks you to stay after class because you’ve missed turning in two homework assignments in a row. When she asks you what’s wrong, you say: 

A. You planned to do your assignments during lunch, but you ran out of time. You decided it would be better to turn in nothing at all than submit unfinished work.  B. You really wanted to get the assignments done, but between your extracurriculars, family commitments, and your part-time job, your homework fell through the cracks.  C. You have a hard time psyching yourself to tackle the assignments. You just can’t seem to find the motivation to work on them once you get home.  D. You tried to do them, but you had a hard time focusing. By the time you realized you hadn’t gotten anything done, it was already time to turn them in. 

Like we said earlier, there are no right or wrong answers to this quiz (though your results will be better if you answered as honestly as possible). Here’s how your answers break down: 

• If your answers were mostly As, then your biggest struggle with doing homework is procrastination. 
• If your answers were mostly Bs, then your biggest struggle with doing homework is time management. 
• If your answers were mostly Cs, then your biggest struggle with doing homework is motivation. 
• If your answers were mostly Ds, then your biggest struggle with doing homework is getting distracted. 

Now that you’ve identified why you’re having a hard time getting your homework done, we can help you figure out how to fix it! Scroll down to find your core problem area to learn more about how you can start to address it. 

And one more thing: you’re really struggling with homework, it’s a good idea to read through every section below. You may find some additional tips that will help make homework less intimidating. 

How to Do Homework When You’re a Procrastinator  

Merriam Webster defines “procrastinate” as “to put off intentionally and habitually.” In other words, procrastination is when you choose to do something at the last minute on a regular basis. If you’ve ever found yourself pulling an all-nighter, trying to finish an assignment between periods, or sprinting to turn in a paper minutes before a deadline, you’ve experienced the effects of procrastination. 

If you’re a chronic procrastinator, you’re in good company. In fact, one study found that 70% to 95% of undergraduate students procrastinate when it comes to doing their homework. Unfortunately, procrastination can negatively impact your grades. Researchers have found that procrastination can lower your grade on an assignment by as much as five points ...which might not sound serious until you realize that can mean the difference between a B- and a C+. 

Procrastination can also negatively affect your health by increasing your stress levels , which can lead to other health conditions like insomnia, a weakened immune system, and even heart conditions. Getting a handle on procrastination can not only improve your grades, it can make you feel better, too! 

The big thing to understand about procrastination is that it’s not the result of laziness. Laziness is defined as being “disinclined to activity or exertion.” In other words, being lazy is all about doing nothing. But a s this Psychology Today article explains , procrastinators don’t put things off because they don’t want to work. Instead, procrastinators tend to postpone tasks they don’t want to do in favor of tasks that they perceive as either more important or more fun. Put another way, procrastinators want to do things...as long as it’s not their homework! 

3 Tips f or Conquering Procrastination 

Because putting off doing homework is a common problem, there are lots of good tactics for addressing procrastination. Keep reading for our three expert tips that will get your homework habits back on track in no time. 

#1: Create a Reward System

Like we mentioned earlier, procrastination happens when you prioritize other activities over getting your homework done. Many times, this happens because homework...well, just isn’t enjoyable. But you can add some fun back into the process by rewarding yourself for getting your work done. 

Here’s what we mean: let’s say you decide that every time you get your homework done before the day it’s due, you’ll give yourself a point. For every five points you earn, you’ll treat yourself to your favorite dessert: a chocolate cupcake! Now you have an extra (delicious!) incentive to motivate you to leave procrastination in the dust. 

If you’re not into cupcakes, don’t worry. Your reward can be anything that motivates you . Maybe it’s hanging out with your best friend or an extra ten minutes of video game time. As long as you’re choosing something that makes homework worth doing, you’ll be successful. 

#2: Have a Homework Accountability Partner 

If you’re having trouble getting yourself to start your homework ahead of time, it may be a good idea to call in reinforcements . Find a friend or classmate you can trust and explain to them that you’re trying to change your homework habits. Ask them if they’d be willing to text you to make sure you’re doing your homework and check in with you once a week to see if you’re meeting your anti-procrastination goals. 

Sharing your goals can make them feel more real, and an accountability partner can help hold you responsible for your decisions. For example, let’s say you’re tempted to put off your science lab write-up until the morning before it’s due. But you know that your accountability partner is going to text you about it tomorrow...and you don’t want to fess up that you haven’t started your assignment. A homework accountability partner can give you the extra support and incentive you need to keep your homework habits on track. 

#3: Create Your Own Due Dates 

If you’re a life-long procrastinator, you might find that changing the habit is harder than you expected. In that case, you might try using procrastination to your advantage! If you just can’t seem to stop doing your work at the last minute, try setting your own due dates for assignments that range from a day to a week before the assignment is actually due. 

Here’s what we mean. Let’s say you have a math worksheet that’s been assigned on Tuesday and is due on Friday. In your planner, you can write down the due date as Thursday instead. You may still put off your homework assignment until the last minute...but in this case, the “last minute” is a day before the assignment’s real due date . This little hack can trick your procrastination-addicted brain into planning ahead! 

If you feel like Kevin Hart in this meme, then our tips for doing homework when you're busy are for you. 

How to Do Homework When You’re too Busy

If you’re aiming to go to a top-tier college , you’re going to have a full plate. Because college admissions is getting more competitive, it’s important that you’re maintaining your grades , studying hard for your standardized tests , and participating in extracurriculars so your application stands out. A packed schedule can get even more hectic once you add family obligations or a part-time job to the mix. 

If you feel like you’re being pulled in a million directions at once, you’re not alone. Recent research has found that stress—and more severe stress-related conditions like anxiety and depression— are a major problem for high school students . In fact, one study from the American Psychological Association found that during the school year, students’ stress levels are higher than those of the adults around them. 

For students, homework is a major contributor to their overall stress levels . Many high schoolers have multiple hours of homework every night , and figuring out how to fit it into an already-packed schedule can seem impossible. 

3 Tips for Fitting Homework Into Your Busy Schedule

While it might feel like you have literally no time left in your schedule, there are still ways to make sure you’re able to get your homework done and meet your other commitments. Here are our expert homework tips for even the busiest of students. 

#1: Make a Prioritized To-Do List 

You probably already have a to-do list to keep yourself on track. The next step is to prioritize the items on your to-do list so you can see what items need your attention right away. 

Here’s how it works: at the beginning of each day, sit down and make a list of all the items you need to get done before you go to bed. This includes your homework, but it should also take into account any practices, chores, events, or job shifts you may have. Once you get everything listed out, it’s time to prioritize them using the labels A, B, and C. Here’s what those labels mean:

• A Tasks : tasks that have to get done—like showing up at work or turning in an assignment—get an A. 
• B Tasks : these are tasks that you would like to get done by the end of the day but aren’t as time sensitive. For example, studying for a test you have next week could be a B-level task. It’s still important, but it doesn’t have to be done right away.
• C Tasks: these are tasks that aren’t very important and/or have no real consequences if you don’t get them done immediately. For instance, if you’re hoping to clean out your closet but it’s not an assigned chore from your parents, you could label that to-do item with a C.

Prioritizing your to-do list helps you visualize which items need your immediate attention, and which items you can leave for later. A prioritized to-do list ensures that you’re spending your time efficiently and effectively, which helps you make room in your schedule for homework. So even though you might really want to start making decorations for Homecoming (a B task), you’ll know that finishing your reading log (an A task) is more important. 

#2: Use a Planner With Time Labels

Your planner is probably packed with notes, events, and assignments already. (And if you’re not using a planner, it’s time to start!) But planners can do more for you than just remind you when an assignment is due. If you’re using a planner with time labels, it can help you visualize how you need to spend your day.

A planner with time labels breaks your day down into chunks, and you assign tasks to each chunk of time. For example, you can make a note of your class schedule with assignments, block out time to study, and make sure you know when you need to be at practice. Once you know which tasks take priority, you can add them to any empty spaces in your day. 

Planning out how you spend your time not only helps you use it wisely, it can help you feel less overwhelmed, too . We’re big fans of planners that include a task list ( like this one ) or have room for notes ( like this one ). 

#3: Set Reminders on Your Phone 

If you need a little extra nudge to make sure you’re getting your homework done on time, it’s a good idea to set some reminders on your phone. You don’t need a fancy app, either. You can use your alarm app to have it go off at specific times throughout the day to remind you to do your homework. This works especially well if you have a set homework time scheduled. So if you’ve decided you’re doing homework at 6:00 pm, you can set an alarm to remind you to bust out your books and get to work. 

If you use your phone as your planner, you may have the option to add alerts, emails, or notifications to scheduled events . Many calendar apps, including the one that comes with your phone, have built-in reminders that you can customize to meet your needs. So if you block off time to do your homework from 4:30 to 6:00 pm, you can set a reminder that will pop up on your phone when it’s time to get started. 

This dog isn't judging your lack of motivation...but your teacher might. Keep reading for tips to help you motivate yourself to do your homework.

How to Do Homework When You’re Unmotivated 

At first glance, it may seem like procrastination and being unmotivated are the same thing. After all, both of these issues usually result in you putting off your homework until the very last minute. 

But there’s one key difference: many procrastinators are working, they’re just prioritizing work differently. They know they’re going to start their homework...they’re just going to do it later. 

Conversely, people who are unmotivated to do homework just can’t find the willpower to tackle their assignments. Procrastinators know they’ll at least attempt the homework at the last minute, whereas people who are unmotivated struggle with convincing themselves to do it at a ll. For procrastinators, the stress comes from the inevitable time crunch. For unmotivated people, the stress comes from trying to convince themselves to do something they don’t want to do in the first place. 

Here are some common reasons students are unmotivated in doing homework : 

• Assignments are too easy, too hard, or seemingly pointless 
• Students aren’t interested in (or passionate about) the subject matter
• Students are intimidated by the work and/or feels like they don’t understand the assignment 
• Homework isn’t fun, and students would rather spend their time on things that they enjoy 

To sum it up: people who lack motivation to do their homework are more likely to not do it at all, or to spend more time worrying about doing their homework than...well, actually doing it.

3 Tips for How to Get Motivated to Do Homework

The key to getting homework done when you’re unmotivated is to figure out what does motivate you, then apply those things to homework. It sounds tricky...but it’s pretty simple once you get the hang of it! Here are our three expert tips for motivating yourself to do your homework. 

#1: Use Incremental Incentives

When you’re not motivated, it’s important to give yourself small rewards to stay focused on finishing the task at hand. The trick is to keep the incentives small and to reward yourself often. For example, maybe you’re reading a good book in your free time. For every ten minutes you spend on your homework, you get to read five pages of your book. Like we mentioned earlier, make sure you’re choosing a reward that works for you! 

So why does this technique work? Using small rewards more often allows you to experience small wins for getting your work done. Every time you make it to one of your tiny reward points, you get to celebrate your success, which gives your brain a boost of dopamine . Dopamine helps you stay motivated and also creates a feeling of satisfaction when you complete your homework !  

#2: Form a Homework Group 

If you’re having trouble motivating yourself, it’s okay to turn to others for support. Creating a homework group can help with this. Bring together a group of your friends or classmates, and pick one time a week where you meet and work on homework together. You don’t have to be in the same class, or even taking the same subjects— the goal is to encourage one another to start (and finish!) your assignments. 

Another added benefit of a homework group is that you can help one another if you’re struggling to understand the material covered in your classes. This is especially helpful if your lack of motivation comes from being intimidated by your assignments. Asking your friends for help may feel less scary than talking to your teacher...and once you get a handle on the material, your homework may become less frightening, too. 

#3: Change Up Your Environment 

If you find that you’re totally unmotivated, it may help if you find a new place to do your homework. For example, if you’ve been struggling to get your homework done at home, try spending an extra hour in the library after school instead. The change of scenery can limit your distractions and give you the energy you need to get your work done. 

If you’re stuck doing homework at home, you can still use this tip. For instance, maybe you’ve always done your homework sitting on your bed. Try relocating somewhere else, like your kitchen table, for a few weeks. You may find that setting up a new “homework spot” in your house gives you a motivational lift and helps you get your work done. 

Social media can be a huge problem when it comes to doing homework. We have advice for helping you unplug and regain focus.

How to Do Homework When You’re Easily Distracted

We live in an always-on world, and there are tons of things clamoring for our attention. From friends and family to pop culture and social media, it seems like there’s always something (or someone!) distracting us from the things we need to do.

The 24/7 world we live in has affected our ability to focus on tasks for prolonged periods of time. Research has shown that over the past decade, an average person’s attention span has gone from 12 seconds to eight seconds . And when we do lose focus, i t takes people a long time to get back on task . One study found that it can take as long as 23 minutes to get back to work once we’ve been distracte d. No wonder it can take hours to get your homework done! 

3 Tips to Improve Your Focus

If you have a hard time focusing when you’re doing your homework, it’s a good idea to try and eliminate as many distractions as possible. Here are three expert tips for blocking out the noise so you can focus on getting your homework done. 

#1: Create a Distraction-Free Environment

Pick a place where you’ll do your homework every day, and make it as distraction-free as possible. Try to find a location where there won’t be tons of noise, and limit your access to screens while you’re doing your homework. Put together a focus-oriented playlist (or choose one on your favorite streaming service), and put your headphones on while you work. 

You may find that other people, like your friends and family, are your biggest distraction. If that’s the case, try setting up some homework boundaries. Let them know when you’ll be working on homework every day, and ask them if they’ll help you keep a quiet environment. They’ll be happy to lend a hand! 

#2: Limit Your Access to Technology 

We know, we know...this tip isn’t fun, but it does work. For homework that doesn’t require a computer, like handouts or worksheets, it’s best to put all your technology away . Turn off your television, put your phone and laptop in your backpack, and silence notifications on any wearable tech you may be sporting. If you listen to music while you work, that’s fine...but make sure you have a playlist set up so you’re not shuffling through songs once you get started on your homework. 

If your homework requires your laptop or tablet, it can be harder to limit your access to distractions. But it’s not impossible! T here are apps you can download that will block certain websites while you’re working so that you’re not tempted to scroll through Twitter or check your Facebook feed. Silence notifications and text messages on your computer, and don’t open your email account unless you absolutely have to. And if you don’t need access to the internet to complete your assignments, turn off your WiFi. Cutting out the online chatter is a great way to make sure you’re getting your homework done. 

#3: Set a Timer (the Pomodoro Technique)

Have you ever heard of the Pomodoro technique ? It’s a productivity hack that uses a timer to help you focus!

Here’s how it works: first, set a timer for 25 minutes. This is going to be your work time. During this 25 minutes, all you can do is work on whatever homework assignment you have in front of you. No email, no text messaging, no phone calls—just homework. When that timer goes off, you get to take a 5 minute break. Every time you go through one of these cycles, it’s called a “pomodoro.” For every four pomodoros you complete, you can take a longer break of 15 to 30 minutes.

The pomodoro technique works through a combination of boundary setting and rewards. First, it gives you a finite amount of time to focus, so you know that you only have to work really hard for 25 minutes. Once you’ve done that, you’re rewarded with a short break where you can do whatever you want. Additionally, tracking how many pomodoros you complete can help you see how long you’re really working on your homework. (Once you start using our focus tips, you may find it doesn’t take as long as you thought!)

Two Bonus Tips for How to Do Homework Fast

Even if you’re doing everything right, there will be times when you just need to get your homework done as fast as possible. (Why do teachers always have projects due in the same week? The world may never know.)

The problem with speeding through homework is that it’s easy to make mistakes. While turning in an assignment is always better than not submitting anything at all, you want to make sure that you’re not compromising quality for speed. Simply put, the goal is to get your homework done quickly and still make a good grade on the assignment! 

Here are our two bonus tips for getting a decent grade on your homework assignments , even when you’re in a time crunch. 

#1: Do the Easy Parts First 

This is especially true if you’re working on a handout with multiple questions. Before you start working on the assignment, read through all the questions and problems. As you do, make a mark beside the questions you think are “easy” to answer . 

Once you’ve finished going through the whole assignment, you can answer these questions first. Getting the easy questions out of the way as quickly as possible lets you spend more time on the trickier portions of your homework, which will maximize your assignment grade. 

(Quick note: this is also a good strategy to use on timed assignments and tests, like the SAT and the ACT !) 

#2: Pay Attention in Class 

Homework gets a lot easier when you’re actively learning the material. Teachers aren’t giving you homework because they’re mean or trying to ruin your weekend... it’s because they want you to really understand the course material. Homework is designed to reinforce what you’re already learning in class so you’ll be ready to tackle harder concepts later.

When you pay attention in class, ask questions, and take good notes, you’re absorbing the information you’ll need to succeed on your homework assignments. (You’re stuck in class anyway, so you might as well make the most of it!) Not only will paying attention in class make your homework less confusing, it will also help it go much faster, too.

What’s Next?

If you’re looking to improve your productivity beyond homework, a good place to begin is with time management. After all, we only have so much time in a day...so it’s important to get the most out of it! To get you started, check out this list of the 12 best time management techniques that you can start using today.

You may have read this article because homework struggles have been affecting your GPA. Now that you’re on the path to homework success, it’s time to start being proactive about raising your grades. This article teaches you everything you need to know about raising your GPA so you can

Now you know how to get motivated to do homework...but what about your study habits? Studying is just as critical to getting good grades, and ultimately getting into a good college . We can teach you how to study bette r in high school. (We’ve also got tons of resources to help you study for your ACT and SAT exams , too!)

These recommendations are based solely on our knowledge and experience. If you purchase an item through one of our links, PrepScholar may receive a commission.

Ashley Sufflé Robinson has a Ph.D. in 19th Century English Literature. As a content writer for PrepScholar, Ashley is passionate about giving college-bound students the in-depth information they need to get into the school of their dreams.

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How to Do Math Homework Fast (An Expert Guide)

• Post author By Ankit
• February 5, 2024

“Math homework” are the two words that can worry students. As a student, finishing your math homework quickly and correctly is important for getting good grades. 

However, spending hours working on hard equations or proofs can seem challenging. The good news is that with the right tips, your math homework doesn’t have to take forever.

But, getting through math homework quickly while learning the material is important for doing well in school. Whether you’re studying algebra, geometry, calculus or more, this post will give you plans to work smarter, not harder. 

Using these time-saving tips, you can stay on top of your daily homework and have more time for other subjects, activities, or relaxing!

This blog post will provide tips on ‘how to do your math homework fast”.

Also Read: Unveiling 5 Reasons Why Math is Important

Table of Contents

Importance Of Math Homework For Students

Math homework is crucial in helping students develop critical academic and life skills. By regularly assigning math homework, teachers provide students with many benefits that will serve them well both in and out of the classroom.

• Practices What Was Learned in Class

Doing homework allows students to practice and review the math concepts they learned that day. This helps them to learn better.

• Shows What Students Don’t Understand Yet

Homework shows students which math areas they don’t fully understand. This allows them to ask queries and get help with concepts they’re struggling with.

• Improves Problem-Solving Abilities

Math homework contains word problems and other questions that need critical thinking. Working through these helps students get better at studying facts and solving problems.

• Teaches Time Management

Regular math homework teaches students how to manage their time and be responsible for finishing work alone.

• Gives Feedback on Progress

Graded homework shows students how they’re doing. It shows them what they’ve mastered and where they need more practice.

• Builds Work Habits

Finishing homework consistently builds good work habits in students at an early age. This valuable skill will help them throughout life.

• Improves Academic Performance

No doubt, submitting homework regularly can help you do better in school than those who skip it often. 

• Personalized Learning

Educators can personalize homework to focus on areas where individual students need more work. This personalized practice improves math skills.

• Prepare for More Homework Later

Regular math homework prepares students for the larger amounts of homework in middle, high school, and beyond. It helps build endurance.

So, from the importance of math homework, it is clear that it helps students learn vital skills that will help them in the future.

7 Tips For Setting A Math Homework Routine

Math homework can seem overwhelming, but having a constant routine can help you stay on top of it. Setting aside regular time to focus just on math work can make it feel more manageable.

• Find a calm place to work with few things to distract you.
• Choose a specific time every day to do your homework.
• Break problems down into smaller steps.
• Take short breaks when stuck to clear your head.
• Review notes and examples from class before starting.
• Have reference books handy to look up concepts.
• Reward yourself when finished to stay motivated.

Thus, staying organized, breaking problems into smaller pieces, and giving your brain breaks will make your study time more productive. However, having the right materials nearby can help avoid wasting time searching. Most importantly, build in rewards for completing work to develop positive habits.

Top 10 Mistakes Every Student Makes With Their Math Homework 

Here are the top mistakes that every student makes with their math homework:

• Not showing the steps used to solve problems
• Skipping important steps in solutions
• Making simple calculation errors due to working too fast
• Not including measurements in the final answer
• Misinterpreting what the actual question is asking
• Using the wrong formulas to solve problems
• Having messy and unclear handwritten work
• Not confirming solutions make logical sense
• Entering test answers inaccurately from faulty work
• Delaying starting assignments until the deadline is close.

Now, let’s move on to the tips to do your math homework faster.

How to Do Math Homework Fast?

Here are the top tips to help you do math homework faster.

1. Learn Main Ideas First

Before solving many math problems, learn the main ideas and formulas. This gives you a solid base before applying the knowledge through practice problems. Learning the concepts makes math easier.

2. Break Down Big Problems

With a big, complex problem, don’t just dive in. First, break it into smaller, easier parts to tackle one step at a time.

Identify the different pieces involved and map out the logic to solve it. Small bites make big problems less scary and easier to understand.

3. Focus on Key Details

Don’t get overwhelmed by all the formulas and details in math. First, aim to grasp the core 20% of concepts and patterns that make up 80% of problems.

Focus on these key ideas is a great point. The smaller details can come later. Don’t let minor stuff bury the big stuff.

4. Work Backward

If stuck on a problem, work it backward from the given solution. Identify the last step required and the one before that, and slowly reverse engineering the solution. Mapping from the end can tell the right series of steps.

5. Look for Patterns

Carefully look for patterns and similarities between problems. If you just used a certain method or formula, see if a similar problem scenario exists where applying the same technique works.

Patterns usually exist if you think structurally about the relationships. Use what you know about the math.

6. Focus on Important Concepts

Not all concepts are equal. Spend more time understanding the 20% of concepts, formulas, and principles that make up 80% of problems.

Identify these core ideas and focus on fully grasping them. More practice reveals which concepts often appear and are essential. Don’t forget to prioritize those for maximum benefit.

7. Review Class Notes

Don’t just use the textbook. Also, review notes from lectures and examples done in class. The teacher may have highlighted specific ideas, explained concepts, or provided useful tips not in the readings. Studying your notes reinforces what was directly taught.

8. Explain Concepts Out Loud

Explaining concepts verbally to yourself or others forces you to articulate your understanding in words. If you can thoroughly explain an idea in your own words, you will likely grasp it.

If you struggle to explain, that signals fuzzy comprehension needing more review. Speaking out loud about concepts helps to solidify them in our minds.

9. Take Breaks When Stuck

When stuck on a problem for a while, continuing to bang your head against the wall is often fruitless. Recognize when you’ve hit a roadblock and take a break.

Shift your attention before returning to the problem with a fresh perspective. Thus, forcing yourself to keep going often leads to frustration.

10. Stay Motivated

Solving math problems can require lots of time and repetition before concepts click. Understanding progress often happens slowly over time, not all at once.

To stay motivated, it’s important to celebrate small achievements along the way. Periodically reward your efforts, and soon you’ll complete another assignment.

11. Study in Groups

Study with classmates to discuss concepts, compare notes, and work on practice problems together. Learning together provides extra views you wouldn’t get studying solo. Teaching others also supports your learning. Do not forget to make use of most group study options.

12. Find Alternate Explanations

If textbook or class explanations don’t make sense, look for alternate presentations of the material online.

A fresh explanation that better fits your learning style can greatly help comprehension. Finding new metaphors, visuals, analogies, or approaches is good. There are many ways to share the same idea.

13. Learn Shortcuts and Tricks

Learn handy shortcuts, tricks, and estimations that make solving certain problems faster and easier. For example, approximating long division using easier rounding and multiplication. Look for simplifying plans that don’t sacrifice accuracy but do increase efficiency.

14. Make Summaries

Make flashcards , charts, or cheat sheets summarizing the most important formulas, theorems, equations, properties, etc. Keep these quick references handy when doing homework to refresh your memory. Quickly looking up information saves time versus struggling to recall it.

15. Use Math Tools

Use available math apps, online calculators, graphing calculators, equation editors, etc., that automate, visualize, or assist with math problems.

Let helpful technology tools do some of the work when appropriate, like graphing complex equations on a calculator.

16. Use a Timer

Use a timer to pace yourself or create timed challenge sessions to get through homework efficiently. For example, set a 25-minute timer and see how many chapter review questions you can complete.

As we all know, time limit boosts productivity. Take short breaks between focused work sessions.

17. Be Well-Rested

Don’t do important math work when tired or drained. Problems that normally make sense suddenly seem impossible. Ensure you’re awake and focused before attempting math, especially cumulative material. Adequate rest enables better understanding and memory.

18. Do Hardest Problems First

When your mind is fresh, like in the mornings, do the hardest homework problems first. After easier problems drain mental energy, complex concepts and multi-step issues become more difficult.

Prioritize tough stuff first while attention is highest. Momentum will then help you push through the rest.

Thus, follow these tips and do your math homework quickly.

Many students have problems completing their math homework on time. It can be frustrating and make you feel overwhelmed. But some simple plans can help you get through them more efficiently.

In this piece, we share a few practical tips to help you finish math work faster. Applying these tips can improve your productivity, understanding, and grades.

Rather than struggling alone, try out some of our advice. Little changes to how you approach homework could make a big difference in staying on top of class. With more time and less stress, you can aim higher and truly absorb what you’re learning.

But by working smarter, not just harder, you can master the subject and maintain your schedule. Stay positive and be proactive with these solutions. In no time, you’ll breeze through math work, feeling focused and in control.

How can I speed up my math homework without sacrificing accuracy?

Prioritize understanding the concepts first. Break problems down into smaller steps. Focus on the key ideas and practice lots. You will get faster with familiarity, but keeping things accurate should stay important.

What’s the most effective way to organize my math homework to save time?

Start by reviewing the work to find the easier and harder problems. Do the easier stuff first to feel good and confident. Group similar problems together. Use tools like coloring or highlighting to keep things visually neat.

How do I avoid getting stuck on one problem for too long?

Set a time limit for each problem and move on if it passes. Mark the tricky stuff and revisit later. Use materials like textbooks and online tutorials, or ask peers or teachers for help. Sometimes, taking a short break and coming back fresh also helps.

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How to Get Homework Done when You Don't Want To

Last Updated: March 15, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Ashley Pritchard, MA and by wikiHow staff writer, Hannah Madden . Ashley Pritchard is an Academic and School Counselor at Delaware Valley Regional High School in Frenchtown, New Jersey. Ashley has over 3 years of high school, college, and career counseling experience. She has an MA in School Counseling with a specialization in Mental Health from Caldwell University and is certified as an Independent Education Consultant through the University of California, Irvine. There are 9 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 247,894 times.

Homework can be a drag, but it's got to be done to keep your grades up and stay on track during school. Going somewhere quiet, making a plan, and giving yourself breaks can all help you stay focused and on task to get your work done quickly. Try to keep your assignments organized and give yourself credit for completing hard or boring work, even if you didn’t want to.

Getting Motivated

• Keep a list of your assignments and check them off as you finish them. This can give you a sense of accomplishment that can motivate you to keep going.

• Make it the rule that you work for a certain amount of time, or until a certain amount of work has been accomplished. Afterward, you can hang out. Stick to this schedule.
• Try this out and see if it works. If you're too distracted by having friends around, make a date to hang out after homework instead.

• Make sure you keep the competition to yourself. Competing with your friends isn’t fun, especially over homework assignments and grades.

• Learning something that will probably help with future assignments, even if you don't know what they are yet.
• Proving to your teacher that you understand the homework so that they don’t keep assigning it over and over.
• Improving your GPA.
• Getting a good grade.

• Try not to reward yourself with food, as that can lead to snacking when you aren’t really hungry.

Staying Focused

• For instance, tell yourself that if you finish your first assignment in 20 minutes, you can go on your phone for 5 minutes.

• Make sure you stand up and do something when it's your break, or you won't get your wiggles out.
• Set a timer on your phone or use a kitchen timer to let yourself know when it's time to switch tasks.

• If you don't have control over the subject, try to find connections between the topic and something you care about. Find aspects of the subject that interest you.
• For instance, if you have to study History but you care the most about fashion, investigate the styles of the times and places you are studying. Learn how political and economical developments changed the way people dressed.

• You can find playlists on Spotify and YouTube that are made for studying and doing homework.

• When you're struggling to focus, sign out of your email and all social media so you don't check them as a reflex.

Creating Good Study Habits

• If you have many textbooks and worksheets, stack them and put them to the side.
• Get things like pencils, erasers, calculators, rulers, and paper.

• Having a planner will make it less tempting to procrastinate, as long as you have broken up your studying into manageable chunks.
• Your planner can be paper, or you can get one on your phone. Just make sure it has space for task lists as well as events.
• Once you have completed a task, cross it off or put a check next to it. Seeing that you're getting your work done will make you feel better, which in turn will motivate you to keep up the good work.
• Don't put more than you can do in one day on a list! Split up your week's work so that every day has a manageable amount.

• If you have a job or extracurricular activities that change your daily schedule, determine a weekly schedule that you stick to as much as possible.

• Sometimes just explaining what you have to do will help you understand it better.
• Talking to another person is a great way to brainstorm ideas. They may ask you questions or provide comments that can help you organize your ideas.
• Other times, the person you are talking to will notice something about the prompt that you overlooked.

Supercharge Your Studying with this Expert Series

Expert Q&A

Reader Videos

Share a quick video tip and help bring articles to life with your friendly advice. Your insights could make a real difference and help millions of people!

• Try asking a family member to help you remember when to start your assignments so you don’t forget. Thanks Helpful 4 Not Helpful 2
• If you’re really struggling with a topic, consider going to a tutor for extra help. Thanks Helpful 4 Not Helpful 2
• Getting motivated can be tough. Just try your best, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Thanks Helpful 4 Not Helpful 2

Tips from our Readers

• Set up a dedicated study area at home with your needed supplies, to establish a consistent homework routine. Having everything in one prepared place helps minimize distractions.
• Use a planner to schedule out all your assignments. Break them into small, manageable pieces so it's less overwhelming. Checking tasks off as you finish motivates you along.
• If completely stuck on an assignment, reach out and talk it through with someone. Verbalizing it can provide new insights to move forward.
• Take short activity breaks every 45 minutes. Get up, stretch, grab some water. It refreshes your mental focus so you stay engaged.
• Incorporate a fun personal interest into an assignment when possible. Writing about something you care about keeps you absorbed.
• When you really need to concentrate, eliminate enticing distractions like your phone. Logging out keeps you on track.

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://hwpi.harvard.edu/files/comm/files/smarttalk_staff_guide.pdf
• ↑ http://www.wcsu.edu/housing/wp-content/uploads/sites/55/2018/05/Handout-V6N6.pdf
• ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/worry-wise/201410/how-prevent-homework-procrastination
• ↑ Ashley Pritchard, MA. Academic & School Counselor. Expert Interview. 4 November 2019.
• ↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/homework.html
• ↑ http://kidshealth.org/en/kids/organize-focus.html?WT.ac=p-ra#
• ↑ https://www.stonybrookmedicine.edu/sites/default/files/homework_tips.pdf
• ↑ https://childmind.org/article/strategies-to-make-homework-go-more-smoothly/
• ↑ http://kidshealth.org/en/teens/homework.html#

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Teacher help

There are two reasons that you would not be able to access your Assessment Manager. Please check with your school’s designated contact that the password has not been changed, and ensure that your subscription has not expired before contacting our customer services team.

By going to the results screen for your class and clicking on the specific homework task you require, you can edit the results for your students. Simply enter “0” into the scores for Q1 and Q2, and click ‘Save’. This will effectively reset the results for this task, allowing for a clean slate.

You can use the transfer students button to move or copy students to a new or existing class.

Select “Transfer students” in the Admin section of the Assessment Manager. You then just need to select the students you would like to transfer, choose whether to create a new class or add them to an existing one.

If you just want to move your student to another class, choose to move them, with or without any uncompleted allocations. If you want your student to be a member of two classes, choose to copy them to the other class.

When you first enter the Results screen, the “Only show allocated work” filter on the left hand side is selected by default. To view all of your students’ results, deselect “Only show allocated work” and click “Apply filter”. This will show the results for all the tasks that your students have completed. You can also download this as a spreadsheet.

On the Results screen for the class, you can use the “Include work not done yet” button to see all the work that is outstanding. You can also download this as a spreadsheet.

If a student is only in one class, all of their allocations will appear on the individual allocation screen. You can see which tasks are outstanding using the “completed” column.

If a student is in more than one class, you will need to view their allocations for each class in turn.

You can view the individual question marks and number of attempts on the “Allocation” modal.

It is not possible to edit the number of attempts.

The APP grids were specifically designed around official APP criteria. APP is no longer (officially) in use so we have removed these grids. To gauge progress, you can use the new class results grid. This is very flexible as there are filters on the left that let you drill down to the specific level or area you are interested in. You can then download the spreadsheet for this selection to do any analysis you require. If you want an overview across all levels you can use the Summary tab.

We have replaced all of the specific spreadsheets and reports we previously had with a more flexible class results grid that lets you hone in on exactly the results you want.

You can use the filters on the left to choose a particular level, Booster Pack, A level module or GCSE Statistics. You can then download the spreadsheet for this selection to do any analysis you require.

There is no longer a distinction between “classes” and “revision classes” so you create revision classes in the same way as your other classes.

Once you have created a new class, you can add students to it from your other classes and they will be present in both.

When a student rates their work they can choose from one of the smileys. Students will have their own interpretations of what these mean!

You can delete tasks in the Allocation screen to keep your list under control. The results for these tasks will still be available in the Results screen. Deselect “Only show allocated work” on the left hand side to see them.

Help for students

When you go to the MyMaths website you will need to log in using your school username and password. You will then see some more boxes labelled ‘My Portal’ where you can put in your personal username and password. In here you should see your homework on the first screen you come to. If you can’t see it, then make sure you are on your homework page by clicking the ‘My Homework’ tab on the left hand side of the page.

MyMaths is used completely online, so you don’t need any special computer equipment or software to use it. All you need is an Internet connection and a web browser like Internet Explorer, Firefox or Google Chrome. To make sure it works correctly you should also check that you have updated your web browser (for Internet Explorer please make sure it is version 10 or above) and that you have installed an up-to-date version of Flash. You can also use Android tablets and mobile devices for MyMaths, but if you are using an iPad then you will need to download the free Puffin Academy app in order to access the MyMaths website.

Help for parents

When you go to the MyMaths homepage you will need to log in using your child’s school username and password. You will then see some more boxes labelled ‘My Portal’ where you can put in your child’s username and password. In here you should see your child’s homework on the first screen you come to. If you can’t see it, then make sure you are on your homework page by clicking the ‘My Homework’ tab on the left hand side of the page.

As MyMaths is a fully online resource you will need nothing but an Internet connection and an up-to-date web browser with inbuilt Flash, or a recent version of Flash installed on your computer. MyMaths supports all the major browsers such as Internet Explorer, Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, but please make sure your Chrome or Firefox browsers are up-to-date and your Internet Explorer is version 10 or higher. Most Android tablets and mobile devices should be able to access the website using the Chrome or Firefox browser apps (among others), but users of the iPad and other Apple devices will have to use the free Puffin Academy app. We understand it’s important for MyMaths to work on a range of tablet devices, including iPads.

clock This article was published more than  5 years ago

This is why it’s so hard to help with your kid’s math homework

Two years ago I walked into a car rental return center in Charlotte and interrupted Adrianette Felix mid-rant.

“I can’t even help my own child do her homework, it’s so frustrating, and I feel so stupid,” she said. “What kind of mother can’t understand first-grade math?”

Man needed help with son’s third-grade math homework and got it from a stranger on the subway

Felix and I spent the next half-hour engaged in a spirited discussion about the state of math education in America; how we got here, why it’s changed; and where experts on math education hope it’s taking us.

The simple answer to why math education has changed, “Common Core State Standards,” is only part of the story. Math teacher  Christopher Danielson  outlines the rest of the story in his book, “ Common Core Math for Parents for Dummies ,” and it goes something like this: Math education in America has evolved in response to concerns about our international competitiveness, first with Europe, and later, with Russia and its space program. Consequently, American math education prioritized the education of professional scientists and mathematicians who could get satellites in orbit and send men to the moon.

While we were busy chasing those lofty goals, we failed to educate most students in the basic foundations of math. To rectify this, the education pendulum swung back in the other direction, toward rote memorization. Cue the era of multiplication-table work sheets and timed math facts, tasks that still make up the bulk of elementary school math homework assignments.

The summer conundrum: Fight brain drain or give the kids a break?

Between 1989 and 2009, in large part because of the advent of  No Child Left Behind , state standards and the testing necessary to measure states’ progress, math education became what Danielson refers to as a “mile-wide, inch-deep curriculum.” We teach many topics in each grade but at a superficial level. Math education became a series of skills served up in bits and pieces but never as part of a unified, mathematical whole.

Notably, we failed to give American children math sense, a natural and instinctive dexterity with numbers.

I was one of those children, despite having been educated in the top-ranked public school district in Massachusetts ( Dover-Sherborn Regional High School ). My mathematical education was characterized by drills memorization and instructions to accept abstract axioms and mathematical order of operations as “simply how it’s done,” concepts, my teachers promised, I would understand later. I dutifully followed their directions, memorized the steps and regurgitated on demand, but the understanding I had been promised never materialized. What I got instead was a raging case of math anxiety and the belief that I am not a math person.

It wasn’t until my mid-40s, when I retook Algebra with my middle school students and a gifted educator, that I discovered the truth: I had not failed at math; my math education had failed me.

With rare exception, most American children still receive a similarly counterproductive math education, one that produces adults who can recite multiplication tables but can’t make change when the cash register isn’t working, let alone view math as poetry.

“The highest achieving kids in the world are the ones who see math as a big web of interconnected ideas, and the lowest achieving students in the world are the kids who take a memorization approach to math. The United States, you won’t be surprised to hear, has more memorizers than any country in the world,” said  Jo Boaler , professor of mathematics education at Stanford University, in a phone interview.

This chopping up of mathematical concepts, asserts Boaler, is where American math education fails children, and why Felix gets frustrated by her daughter’s math homework. Felix learned how to memorize, while her daughter is learning something much more valuable and useful: number sense, relevance and mental flexibility.

When the average teacher has about 200 separate math concepts or skills to teach in a given year, the connections between each piece disappear. “The kids don’t get to see them, and most teachers don’t know about them, either,” Boaler says. “When teachers are armed with the research about brain growth and [the reality that] everybody can learn math, it changes what they do. Teachers that are empowered with this research are doing amazing things. Really amazing things.”

Math coach  Tracy Zager  agrees. “It’s a phenomenal time to be a math teacher. We are in a time of great revolution and excitement, moving away from rote memorization and toward an understanding of process. It doesn’t mean that answers don’t matter, and it doesn’t mean that skills and memorization don’t matter, but when a student does something wrong, we want them to understand  why, ” she said in a phone interview.

In her book, “ Becoming the Math Teacher You Wish You’d Had ,” Zager writes, “Math is not about following directions, it’s about making  new  directions.” So I emailed her to ask about the direction she would take math education.

“We have to undertake the real work: high-quality, sustained, classroom-based professional development,” she said. “Doing it systematically would take money and time and belief in teachers as professionals.”

While teachers, administrators and education policymakers do battle over Zager’s question, Felix and her daughter need help today, with tonight’s homework assignment.

For that kind of practical advice, I returned to Danielson and his book, “Common Core for Math for Parents for Dummies.” Danielson suggests that parents stop giving kids easy answers and instead focus on asking these five essential questions:

• “Why?” and “How do you know?”
• “Is it good enough?”
• “Does this make sense?”
• “What’s going on here?”

The questions, “Why?” and “How do you know?” require children to construct arguments, to justify their answers and to think about the reasons their answer may be correct. It’s not enough to know that 8 + 4 = 12, as Danielson writes, students must be able to articulate how they might figure out the sum of 8 and 4 if they do not automatically know the answer.

“What if” is a fantastic question to ask in any context, but in math, it’s particularly important. “What if” is at the root of play, experimentation, innovation and exploration. “What if” allows us to push students to contemplate questions beyond their immediate understanding and can fuel curiosity, deeper learning and intellectual breakthroughs.

The question “Is it good enough” gets at the concepts of estimation and precision. Is it good enough to say that .99 repeating is close enough to 1 to say that they are equal? Asking this question requires that students pay attention to units and attend to precision both numerically and linguistically.

“Does this make sense?” is a great question to ask at every step of the process, from choosing a path forward (“Does it make sense to add here?”) to the final answer (“Does that answer make sense?”) and gives kids the opportunity to pause, take stock and exercise judgment. Sometimes, of course, the answer to this question is going to be, “No,” and wrong answers can be just as useful as the right ones, Danielson argues, because, “A classroom climate that only values right answers is less likely to encourage students to persevere.”

Finally, the question, “What’s going on here?” helps kids look for the underlying structure of a problem. For example, “If you know that n is a whole number, then 2 n is an even number and 2 n + 1 is an odd number. What’s more, the expression 2 n + 1 represents all odd numbers. This is the power of looking for and making use of structure — representing infinitely many things in a single short expression.”

I had given Felix a copy of Danielson’s book after we first met, so I called her to find out how she and her daughter are faring in math.

“Oh, honey, we are doing fantastic. That book was fantastic,” she said. “My daughter is doing great in math, and I can help her when she needs it. Plus, I get to feel smarter than a third-grader.”

This is where successful math education starts; with adults who know what questions to ask and who have the skills to help children discover their own solutions.

Jessica Lahey is a teacher and the author of “ The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed ” and a forthcoming book on preventing addiction in children.

Follow  On Parenting on Facebook  for more essays, news and updates, and join our  discussion group here  to talk about parenting and balancing a career. You can  sign up here  for our weekly newsletter.

More reading: 

School’s still in. Here’s how to help them get through to the end. 

9 ways parents can empower a child who has learning issues

10 ways to take the struggle out of homework

Barnard’s president on how to develop STEM-confident girls

Homework tasks

Online Homework tasks may be set by your child’s teacher to help consolidate skills and assess what your child has learnt in school.

Primary MyMaths users can start a homework by clicking on a homework activity. A pop up like the one below will appear. Click the Start homework button.

Secondary MyMaths users can start a homework by clicking on the Online Homework button. This will open up the task straight away.

Homework activities have two pages of questions.

Q1 will usually contain straightforward questions to ease a child into the topic and build their confidence.

Q2 contains slightly more complex questions to encourage your child’s progression. They may find it helpful to have paper to hand for working out their answers.

On each page, once your child has completely finished entering their answers, they should click the Mark it button.

This will mark and save their answers for each page.

Once the Mark it button is clicked, correct answers will receive a green tick and, where appropriate, incorrect answers will have the correct answer displayed underneath.

Once they have clicked ‘Mark it’ on both pages of the homework activity, their homework will be marked and saved.

Their teacher will be able to see their results right away.

Your child can go to the Summary tab to see how they scored. Their most recent attempt is displayed under ‘This score’.

In case they attempt the homework more than once, their highest overall score is shown as ‘Your best scores’.

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Can’t Find Eclipse Glasses? Here’s What to Do.

You can watch a projection of the eclipse using some common household items.

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By Katrina Miller

Follow our live updates on the total solar eclipse .

Reliable paper-framed glasses are by far the most popular option for safely watching the total solar eclipse on Monday. But they’ve gotten more difficult to find in some places ahead of the event.

If you’ve checked everywhere — your local planetarium, public library and even online — fear not: There is still a way to watch the eclipse safely, using items around the house. Here are a few options.

Use your hands

Palms up, position one hand over the other at a 90-degree angle. Open your fingers slightly in a waffle pattern, and allow sunlight to stream through the spaces onto the ground, or another surface. During the eclipse, you will see a projection of the moon obscuring the surface of the sun.

This method works with anything with holes, such as a straw hat, a strainer, a cheese grater or even a perforated spoon. You will also notice this effect when light from the partially eclipsed sun streams through leaves on a tree.

Set up a cardstock screen

For this option, you need a couple of white index cards or two sheets of cardstock paper. First, punch a small hole in the middle of one of the cards using a thumbtack or a pin.

Then, facing away from the sun, allow light to stream through this pinhole. Position the second card underneath to function as a screen. Adjust the spacing between the two cards to make the projection of the sun larger or smaller.

Make a box projector

If you’re up for a bit of crafting, you can make a more sophisticated pinhole projector . Start with a cardboard box — empty cereal boxes are often used, but you can use a larger box, too. You’ll also need scissors, white paper, tape, aluminum foil and a pin or thumbtack.

Cut the piece of paper to fit the inside bottom of the cardboard box to act as a screen. Use tape to hold it in place.

On the top of the box, cut two rectangular holes on either side. (The middle should be left intact — you can use tape to secure this if needed.)

Tape a piece of aluminum foil over one of the rectangular cutouts. Punch a tiny hole in the middle of the foil with the tack or pin. The other cutout will serve as a view hole.

With your back to the sun, position the foil side of the box over your shoulder, letting light stream through the pinhole. An image of the sun will project onto the screen at the bottom of the box, which you can see through the view hole. A bigger box will create a bigger image.

Enjoy the show through any of these makeshift pinholes. And remember, during totality, you can view the sun directly with your naked eye. But you should stop looking at the sun as soon as it reappears.

Katrina Miller is a science reporting fellow for The Times. She recently earned her Ph.D. in particle physics from the University of Chicago. More about Katrina Miller