How to Get Good Grades in Math: Strategies for Students and Parents

How to Help Your Child Do Well in Math

What You Can Do

Review

To gain a strong foundation in math, it's usually necessary to review consistently and frequently, but this can sometimes be boring. Help increase your child's interest in math by reviewing with her. If, for example, your child is learning the times tables, you can turn studying into a fun game by writing the multiplication facts on one set of index cards and the answers on another. Take turns matching the facts with the answers.

Teach Note-taking Skills

Some schools don't explicitly teach students how to take notes, which is sometimes why students struggle to remember the material. Two tips for maintaining organized notes are to skip lines and color code.

Whenever your child encounters a new, unfamiliar term, he should write it down, underline it and then include the definition. It can sometimes be helpful to write the term in one color and the definition in another. Similarly, whenever your child includes an example problem in his notes, he should skip a line before and after the problem. That way, the example will be clearly separated from the rest of the notes.

Establish a Routine

Create a routine that your child must follow after school that includes doing homework and reviewing. With structure, your child will be able to get her work done and still have time to do fun activities. A sample routine might be to start homework right away after school, take a break for dinner, review math facts and then relax and go to bed.

What Your Child Can Do

Take Responsibility

No matter how much you do at home to support your child, he must be the one to complete the work himself. It's crucial that your child understands he is the only one responsible for his grades.

Ask for Help

When your child doesn't understand something in class, encourage her to ask for help from the teacher. If she doesn't ask for help, the teacher won't know that she doesn't understand the material.

Work Hard

Especially if math is hard for your child, it can be challenging for him to stay positive and motivated. Many kids think that being good at math is a natural gift that people either have or don't have. Emphasize that this isn't necessarily true, and that students who get good grades in math tend to be hard workers who complete all homework problems and study for tests. It can be helpful if you remind your child that his hard work will pay off in the end. You may even consider giving your child a prize for good grades when report cards come.