How to help a 5th grader with math
Parents, if you’ve asked yourself: How will I ever be able to help my fifth grader with their math work? Here are a few suggestions to help you!
Author
Amber Watkins
Published:
Oct 2024
Key takeaways
- • You can successfully help your fifth-grade math student even if you’ve struggled with math yourself.
- • Remember your role is to support your little one and build their confidence and enjoyment in learning.
- • Math help for fifth graders can be simple. Pay attention to the goals in each segment.
“Mom, Dad, can you guys help me with my math work?”
For some of us, hearing these words can cause a bit of trepidation. Rightfully so, it may have been well over a decade since we’ve been in a math class ourselves and we may feel things have changed so much since we were in school. If that’s true in your case, don’t fret! You can successfully help your child succeed in math.
Table of contents
Why do students struggle in math?
Solving math problems can often require using several skills at a time, while simultaneously having to remember different rules and follow multiple steps. This creates a lot of room for error! Making mistakes can cause your student to lose their confidence and ultimately their joy in learning math. That’s where you come in! By the end of this guide, you will know how to help a fifth grader with math.
7 ways to help your 5th grader with math
Math help for 5th graders can be simpler than you think. It just takes time, patience, and a bit of creativity. Take a look at our tutor recommended goals and try them out with your 5th grader this week.
1. Encourage and create a positive math atmosphere
Understand that your student isn’t looking for you to know everything. Your child is simply looking to you for support. That is something you know how to do! So help your student see that every mistake isn’t a failure, it’s simply a new opportunity to learn.
Goal: When your child gets an answer wrong, encourage them to keep going. And when your child gets an answer right, celebrate it! This will create a positive math atmosphere and boost your child’s confidence in learning.
2. Know 5th-grade math topics
To provide 5th grade math help you don’t need to be an expert in fifth-grade math, you just need to have an overview of what your child is learning. This way you can your child by keeping them on track. In 5th grade, your child will be learning the basics of multiplication, division and fractions. You can find a more detailed list of review topics in your child’s class syllabus, online on their class website, or by simply asking the teacher for the latest topics being discussed in class.
Goal: Take a few minutes each week to review what your child is currently learning in math. If it’s a new topic that you’ve never heard of, that’s okay. Google it to get an overview. Again, the goal is to know, not to know it all!
3. Search for tools
Search for tools your student already has access to. You may have to do a bit of digging through their backpacks, but usually, the teacher will send home class notes, examples, and worksheets that have the steps to follow. Then do exactly that! You’ll be pleasantly surprised that your child knows how to do it but just needs a little help remembering what’s next.
Goal: 5th grade math help doesn’t have to be complicated. Next time your child asks you for math help, simply read the list of steps as they are completing the problem. And don’t forget, anytime they remember the next step ahead of you, commend them!
4. Help them see math in everyday life
Many students will mentally check out if they think something doesn’t pertain to them. This is why we often hear the phrase, “When will we ever use this?” Your job is to show them. When you are calculating discounts at the store, getting measurements for your DIY projects, or checking the score during the game- you are using math!
Goal: Next time you are involved in an everyday activity involving math, try making a simple comment like, “Wow, math made that easy for us today!” This will help your child to view math skills as valuable and important!
5. Practice the basics
The key to 5th-grade math help is practicing the basics. The most common topics that your fifth-grade math student may be struggling with are fractions and negative numbers. Why? They can make even the easiest problems look intimidating. The solution? The more your child practices questions that include these topics, the less scary they will seem.
Goal: Find math reviews, math games or math apps that naturally include practice questions that support what your student is learning in class and have both positive and negative numbers, whole numbers, and fractions.
6. Make learning math fun
Help your child see the fun side of math. Not only is math practical, but it can be messy and sometimes silly too. The next time you think of practicing math with your child, think outside the box and include activities that make learning fun.
Goal: Plan one activity for you and your fifth-grader to do together each week. Remember to keep the activities simple and try to make use of items you may already have in the house. We’ve included an activity your fifth-grader is sure to love: making slime!
7. Try a math app
Have you considered using a math app to supplement classroom instruction? The benefit is simple: your child will have access to a variety of fifth-grade math problems that will be needed for them to succeed. Our app for math help is loved by parents and students alike because it provides 5th grade math help in a way that makes math fun, rewards effort over being correct, and scaffolds learning. Plus, you’ll get access to a dashboard that displays your child’s participation and progression on math topics they struggle with. It’s like having access to a private tutor in your pocket.
