Help Your Child Make Sense of Math: Tips for Parents

Ask the right questions:

In helping children learn, one goal is to assist them in becoming critical and independent thinkers. You can help by asking questions that guide, without telling them what to do.

Good questions, and good listening, will help your student make sense of mathematics, build self-confidence and encourage mathematical thinking and communication. A good question opens up a problem and supports different ways of thinking about it.

Questions to ask your students:

Getting started

• What do you need to find out?
• What do you know now?
• How can you get the information?
• Where can you begin?
• What terms/vocabulary do you understand/not understand?
• What similar problems have you solved that would help?

While Working

• How can you organize the information?
• Can you make a drawing (model) to explain your thinking?
• What are other possibilities?
• What would happen if….?
• Can you describe a strategy that you can use to solve this?
• What do you need to do next?
• Do you see any patterns or relationships that will help you solve this?
• How does this relate to…?
• Can you make a prediction?
• Why did you…?
• What assumptions are you making?

Reflecting about the Solution

• How do you know your solution(conclusion) is reasonable?
• How did you arrive at your answer?
• How can you convince me your answer makes sense?
• What did you try that did not work?
• Has the questions been answered?
• Can the explanation be made clearer?

Responding-helps clarify and extend thinking

• Tell me more.
• Can you explain it in a different way?
• Is there another possibility or strategy that would work?
• Is there a more efficient strategy?
• Help me understand this part…

Adapted from They're Counting on Us California Math Council 1995 and SciMath, Roseville, MN