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For parents and carers

Helping your child with maths

You don't need to remember every method from your own school days to help your child with maths. You can listen, ask them to show their thinking and give them time to try. A few counters on the table or a question about the clock can be a useful starting point.

These pages are for families of children in Classes 1 to 5, across school boards and teaching mediums. Your child's textbook, maths copy and school diary will tell you what their teacher is working on now. Use that as your starting point: the order of topics and the written methods can differ between schools.

Choose the help you need

Start with what your child understands

Marks tell you something about one piece of work, not everything about a child. Watch how your child counts, chooses an operation or explains an answer. Can they make a number using tens and ones? Can they show why two equal halves make a whole? These conversations help you find a useful next step.

Indie the honeybee likes to count her flowers out loud before she writes a number sentence. Your child can do the same with safe household objects, a drawing or spoken words. They may explain more comfortably in a familiar home language before connecting the idea to the words used at school.

Useful places to go next

The class guides suggest suitable starting points without treating every school's syllabus as identical. For a specific skill, visit the worksheet collection. Choose a short section rather than a large pile of practice.

The maths glossary explains unfamiliar words, and our mental maths guide offers ways to discuss calculations. Teachers can also visit the teacher page.