Child Struggling in Math? Use the Math Tutor’s Secret Weapon

This post contains affiliate links. This means if you click on an affiliate link and purchase an item, I will receive a commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own.

Is your child struggling in math?

The most important thing you can do is show them how to correctly solve problems they got wrong on their daily work and tests.

Use the Professional Math Tutor’s Secret Weapon

When my oldest daughter was still in high school, we hired a math tutor to help her prepare for the SAT. We used a top-rated Wyzant tutor.

Do you know, all that tutor did with my daughter was work through the problems she missed on her homework?

Did it work? Yes! My daughter was struggling terribly with Algebra 2, but after working with the tutor, she took the SAT and scored well enough to qualify for an academic scholarship.

Be Your Child’s Tutor

Homeschool moms need to be like tutors, not classroom teachers when it comes to math.

In public schools, daily work is checked, but classroom teachers just don’t have the time to sit down with each child and correct their mistakes. The problem with this is that concepts build on each other. If children don’t understand what they’re doing wrong, they can easily get behind as the material gets harder.

One of the perks of homeschooling is that you can take the time to check daily work and then go over all the problems that were incorrect.

The Hard Part

Are you ready for the hard part? In order to show your child how to do the problems they missed, you have to actually know how to solve the problems yourself.

You can probably skate by with teacher’s manuals for a while, but once your child hits high school, you may have to relearn the math (or learn it for the first time!) in order to explain it.

There are a few math curricula that have videos explaining the answers. For example, Saxon Math has Saxon Teacher CDs that include solutions to all the daily work and test problems. Also, Teaching Textbooks includes solutions to all problems.

One word of caution though: if you have a child that really struggles with math, you will need to have them rework the problems with you. Just watching problem solutions may not be enough.

This is where I went wrong with my oldest daughter. She viewed the solution videos for missed problems, but I didn’t have her solve them with me. There really is no substitute for that one-on-one interaction when your child is struggling.

Next, I’ll give you a few tips that have made working through corrections easier for me. The first tip sounds simple but has been a gamechanger.

Related Reading: “Saxon vs Teaching Textbooks vs Math-U-See: Which is Better?“

Tips for Doing Math Corrections

1. Use a whiteboard. I usually read the missed problem and write out what needs to be solved again on a whiteboard. Then I have the child solve it. Using a whiteboard to solve each problem individually is less stressful for the child than erasing and making corrections on their paper. Colorful markers on paper also work great.
2. Don’t assign number grades for daily work. If you are required to turn in grades or if this is a high school course, daily work can simply be marked as complete or incomplete. When I calculate final grades, I assign 100% to daily work that is complete. Your child is going to be putting the work in to get that 100% by doing corrections with you.
3. Slow down the pace and do remedial work when necessary. By doing corrections with your child, you’ll know when they need more work on a specific topic. You can review problems in the curriculum you’re using or supplement with some of the resources I mention in the next section.

Supplementary Resources That Help

Best Free Skip Counting Songs to Learn Multiplication Facts Fast

Of all the different techniques to learn multiplication facts, memorizing skip counting songs is the easiest method I’ve found. Skip counting is a simplified approach to learning multiplication facts.  Instead of memorizing all the facts, you’re just learning the answers in order. 

XtraMath

This website provides free drills for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts. It keeps track of missed facts and those are repeated until mastered. It’s much more fun than flashcards because your child will see the facts chart fill up with smiley faces as they learn their facts. There is also an inexpensive app available that I purchased and put on my phone.

Starfall

Starfall is an interactive website that covers math skills for grades K-3. The math games are fun. In fact, your child won’t even realize how much he is learning with this site. The free version has loads of content, but some of the videos and games are locked without a subscription.

Khan Academy

Khan Academy is a free site for grades K-12 that has instructional videos, automatically-graded practice problems, and a dashboard showing student progress. Students learn at their own pace. The website adapts the material to address topics that the student needs to practice more.  You can search for individual topics as well.

Related Reading: Child Writing Numbers Backwards? Try This Quick Fix

It can be frustrating if you have a child that struggles with math. Don’t despair! But do put in the extra time to sit down and go over the problems they miss each day.