33 Easy Ways Parents Can Help their Kids with Math at Home.

ByLisa Lightner Updated on Parenting
Emily's Faves: Baby Teethers 9

Math Homework Help is here!

Math. Ugh. New math, double ugh. I know I sound like an old fuddy-duddy when I say this, but I cannot stand the ‘new math.’ It makes no sense to me. And this distance learning thing? Pssshh.

Brian does his homework here at the kitchen table, so I am usually watching and listening as he works through math problems. Maybe this new way is better, I don’t know. It seems like it’s many more steps to get to the same result.

And my son is good at math and loves it! I don’t know what we would do if he was struggling. I look at a math problem of his (4th grade) and I can get the answer, but not show the work that the teacher wants to see. It’s very frustrating as a parent to not be able to help them with their homework.

a dad helping his daughter learn math

Math Anxiety

I grew up in an era when we frequently were told that females are not good at math or science. That may or may not be your reason for math anxiety, but it is for mine!

In any event, you’re going to have to get over your own anxiety with math (if you have it) before helping your child. Even saying something as “Hmm, this looks new and confusing to me too, let’s figure it out together” is a way to approach it without passing on your own personal doubts.

Make math a part of your normal daily routine. Talk about it, often. Visit You’veGotThisMath for a ton of ideas, activities and free printables for math stuff. They also have a super cute multisensory activity called The Gallon Man.

Math Homework Helpers

I suppose this is parenting in the 21st century. If parents can’t figure it out, we go to the Internet or Ask Alexa. Here are some of the great sites I found when looking up ways to explain math to my 4th grader.

I honestly have used some of these. I know how to get the write answer. I don’t know how to tell my kid how to get to that answer, per his teachers’ expectations. It’s maddening.

  1. Logic Roots– Their motto is “We bring to you a new way to practice math. It’s not a game, it’s an occasion to bond.” That is a much better option than the yelling and tears we’ve been doing.
  2. Smart Kids 101– I like that this gives you different approaches for a math problem. I was stuck and this helped.
  3. Hello Thinkster: 6 Ways to Improve Your Child’s Mathematical Mind
  4. Math practice from counting to algebra and geometry http://www.mathscore.com/
  5. Math and Reading games https://www.funbrain.com/
  6. Math and reading games https://www.abcya.com/
  7. Math and language games https://www.arcademics.com/
  8. A wide range of math content from middle school through AP Calculus. https://deltamath.com/overview
  9. THIS ONE IS VERY POPULAR! online education program for toddler through high school… https://www.khanacademy.org/
  10. Your child can play games, learn fun facts, and find out how to turn coin collecting into a hobby. https://www.usmint.gov/learn/kids
  11. Math as a fun part of your daily family routine http://bedtimemath.org/
  12. Elem Math through 6th grade https://boddlelearning.com/
  13. Math Videos with lessons, real life uses of math, famous actors https://www.hmhco.com/math-at-work
  14. Short videos about numbers that help kids explore complex math topics and make math more fun. https://www.numberphile.com/
  15. Geometry https://www.canfigureit.com/
  16. Enter your math problem or search term, press the button, and they show you the step-by-step work and answer instantly. 2nd grade through college. https://www.mathcelebrity.com/online-math-tutor.php
  17. Elem Math games, logic puzzles and educational resources https://www.mathplayground.com/
  18. Math practice https://xtramath.org/#/home/index
  19. The website allows students to play basic games to reinforce math skills and compete against the computer or others https://www.mangahigh.com/en-us/
  20. Math Games, Logic Puzzles and Brain Builders https://www.mathplayground.com/
  21. Immerse yourself in cryptography https://www.cryptoclub.org/
  22. Math games galore https://gridclub.com/
  23. Banzai exposes students to real-world financial dilemmas to teach them the importance of smart money management. https://www.teachbanzai.com/
  24. K-5 curriculum that builds deep understanding and a love of learning math for all students https://www.zearn.org/
  25. Scads of free resources, games, learning resources, and lesson plans for teaching personal finance https://www.ngpf.org/
  26. Science and math labs and simulations https://phet.colorado.edu/
  27. K-8 online math program that looks at how a student is solving problems to adjust accordingly and build a unique learning path for them. https://www.dreambox.com/at-home

Adding Math to Daily Activities

  • Talk to your kids when you’re cooking or following a recipe. Heck, even preheating the oven, you can talk about temperatures.
  • Add math problems in with your evening or bedtime reading routine.
  • If you have a a fitbit or something like that, use it to have math discussions. “How far do you think 100 steps is?”
  • Kids love to measure things. Buy an inexpensive tape measure and play with it.

Much like what I shared above, you just have to make math a part of your daily routine.

I hope this helps get you started. I know several of them have helped us.