“I don't know how to do this.” You sit down beside your child, explain the first step, and find yourself talking through the whole question. The answer is finished, but you still don't know which parts your child could have managed alone.
For the next difficult Math question, try a smaller intervention: give one hint, then pause while your child does something with it. Keep the pencil with them. Your next hint should depend on what they try.
MOE's Guidelines for School-Home Partnership encourage parents to create a home environment where children can complete homework themselves, and caution against doing the homework for them. The routine below is Genie's suggestion for putting that principle into practice; it is not an official homework rule.
Find the point where they got stuck
Start with: “Show me what you understand so far.” Give your child time to read, point or draw. They don't need to deliver a perfect explanation.
Look for the particular difficulty before choosing your response:
- The wording is unclear. Ask them to describe what happens in the question, without calculating yet.
- They understand the story but cannot choose a step. Ask which quantity they could find first, or whether a drawing would help.
- The plan makes sense but the arithmetic has gone wrong. Ask them to check that calculation separately.
If your child hasn't learnt the underlying idea, a series of questions may be frustrating. It is fine to explain a small part directly, use a simpler example, or leave a specific question for the teacher. “One hint at a time” is a way to pace your help, not a ban on teaching.
A worked example: reveal only the hint they need
This is an original practice question, not an official examination question. Use it only if your child has already met fractions of a quantity.
A child has 72 stickers. She gives away 3/8 of them, then gives away another 15 stickers. How many stickers does she have left?
Read one prompt, then let your child respond before looking at the next. You may not need them all.
- Clarify the whole. “What does 3/8 refer to here?” It refers to the original 72 stickers. The later 15 stickers are a separate amount given away.
- Offer a representation. “Could you show 72 stickers split into 8 equal groups?” A bar divided into eight equal parts is one option. Your child can use another method they understand.
- Narrow the next calculation. “If 8 equal groups contain 72 altogether, how many stickers are in one group?” Let them calculate 72 ÷ 8 = 9, then work out the three groups.
- Return to the question. “You've found the stickers given away first. What happened after that, and what are we trying to find?” Let your child finish the subtraction.
Show the worked answer
One eighth: 72 ÷ 8 = 9 stickers.
Three eighths: 9 × 3 = 27 stickers.
After the first gift: 72 − 27 = 45 stickers.
After the second gift: 45 − 15 = 30 stickers left.
Check: 27 + 15 + 30 = 72. The two amounts given away and the amount left account for all the stickers.
Once your child can continue, stop adding instructions. If you immediately announce the next operation, you lose the chance to see whether they can choose it.
When the answer is wrong, ask what the number means
Suppose your child writes 27 as the final answer. Before saying “You forgot to subtract”, ask: “What does 27 count?” If they say it is the first group of stickers given away, ask them to reread the final sentence of the question.
If they calculate 3/8 of 15 instead, go back to the wording: “Which amount did she have when she gave away 3/8?” That keeps your help focused on the misunderstanding. Repeating the entire solution would make it harder to tell whether that specific point is now clear.
A drawing may be useful here. Our guide to model drawing for word problems offers another way to represent a story before calculating.
Know when to stop for the evening
You don't need to keep a child at the table until every blank is filled. If neither of you can explain the next step, keep the attempt visible and write down the exact difficulty. Follow the school's instructions for unfinished homework and use the teacher's preferred contact channel when help is needed.
A useful note could be: “I can find one eighth, but I don't understand why we multiply by three.” That gives the teacher something specific to address. Avoid rewriting the working so neatly that the original difficulty disappears.
For an older student, agree how they want help before sitting beside them: a question read together, a check of one line, or time to try alone. The student can choose where to begin.
Try a smaller amount of help next time
At the next suitable question, begin with “What have you tried?” rather than assuming your child needs the same hints again. Notice the step they can now choose independently. If the same confusion keeps returning, bring the attempts to their teacher and ask which idea needs another explanation.
If you're considering additional support, you can explore Math tuition at Genie or arrange a free trial through the form below. A specific example of where your child gets stuck is a useful place to start that conversation.