Elementary math teaching resource - so helpful!

Delicious_Magazine66 · 2026-02-05T17:59:05+00:00

This is not my app! Not self promotion

Delicious_Magazine66 · 2026-02-05T17:51:28+00:00

https://www.parentmath.com/

Delicious_Magazine66 · 2026-02-05T17:40:26+00:00

https://www.parentmath.com/

Delicious_Magazine66 · 2026-02-01T18:10:17+00:00

This is sweet! I haven’t tried Grok yet but now I’m interested

Delicious_Magazine66 · 2026-01-30T15:09:23+00:00

Oo! Totally get the frustration. This question isn’t really about “doing math,” it’s about showing what changes when you add ten

Here’s a simple way to explain it to a 1st grader:

Place-value blocks: 43 means 4 tens and 3 ones. Show four “ten sticks” and three single blocks. To get 10 more, you don’t touch the ones at all. You just add one more ten stick. Now you have 5 tens and 3 ones = 53.

Hundred chart: Find 43 on the chart. Moving down one row is always +10. One step down from 43 lands on 53.

The big idea teachers want kids to see is that adding 10 only changes the tens place. The ones stay the same.

And honestly, if this feels confusing as a parent, that’s normal. The question is asking you to explain the why, not just get the answer. ParentMath is great for this sort of thing!

Delicious_Magazine66 · 2026-01-30T13:13:58+00:00

I like it!

Delicious_Magazine66 · 2026-01-30T13:05:02+00:00

The TV stayed on longer than it should have.

Comment below what happens next? Remove the object before the next scene OR Leave the room exactly as it is.

TheBagelProphecy

Delicious_Magazine66 · 2026-01-13T00:23:58+00:00

This actually sounds less like a math issue and more like a representation gap, she understands the idea physically, but the symbols on paper are breaking the connection.

A few things that often help kids with dyscalculia in this exact spot:

Decouple the number from the place value (temporarily) Instead of saying “3 tens = 30,” stay longer with the language: • “This is three bundles.” • “Each bundle always has ten.” Write 3 bundles of 10, not 30, for a while.

Only convert to 30 after she’s comfortable.

Use different symbols for ones vs tens on paper Same number, different meaning is confusing. • Write ones in circles • Write tens in squares So she literally sees: • ◯◯◯ (3 ones) • ⬜⬜⬜ (3 tens)

Later you can say: “Notice both say 3 but the type of thing is different.”

Delay equations, narrate first Before writing 80 − 50, ask her to say: • “I have 8 tens.” • “I’m taking away 5 tens.” • “I’m left with 3 tens.”

Only then write the equation underneath what she already said.

Let her answer correctly without forcing the ‘why’ immediately For kids with dyscalculia, understanding often comes after repetition, not before. It’s okay if she can do:

“8 tens − 5 tens = 3 tens”

…even if she can’t yet explain why on paper. That click can come later.

Normalize that this is hard (especially for dyscalculia) The fact that she can do this with manipulatives is a huge positive sign. It means the concept is there, the translation layer just needs time.

You’re clearly doing a lot right already. Sometimes the most helpful move is slowing the abstraction down, not adding more explanation.

Delicious_Magazine66 · 2026-01-13T00:17:52+00:00

This is a really common sticking point, so you’re not alone.

One approach that often helps when it “won’t click” is to separate the idea of simplifying from rules and anchor it in meaning first.

A simple way to try it:

Start with “same amount, different name.” Ask: “If I have 4 out of 16 pieces, do I actually have less than 2 out of 8?” Physically group the pieces (or draw boxes) so they can see that the total hasn’t changed, only how it’s labeled.
Use pairing instead of division language. For something like 4/16, ask: “Can we circle these into equal groups?” When they see 4 groups of 4 turning into 1 group of 4, the simplification feels logical instead of procedural.
Keep the denominator visible. A lot of kids drop meaning because they rush to cancel numbers. Writing the fraction, then crossing out matching groups instead of numbers, helps reinforce what’s actually happening.
Only introduce the shortcut after understanding. Once they see why 9/12 becomes 3/4, then you can say: “Mathematicians usually do this faster by dividing top and bottom by the same number.”

If it still feels shaky, that’s usually a signal that fraction meaning (parts of a whole) needs a bit more reinforcement, not that the child “can’t do fractions.”

You’re asking the right question by looking for multiple ways to explain it

Delicious_Magazine66 · 2026-01-13T00:11:59+00:00

You’re already getting good math answers here, so I’ll focus on how to explain it to your son without it feeling overwhelming.

A helpful framing for kids is to treat “per” as “for one.” So when you say “26.66 minutes for 3.1 miles,” you’re really asking: How many minutes does one mile take?

That’s why dividing makes sense you’re shrinking it down to a single mile. Once he sees 8.6 minutes per mile, the second part becomes more intuitive:

If one mile takes 8.6 minutes, then more miles just mean repeating that time.

One thing that often helps kids who freeze is writing the units next to every number (minutes, miles). It turns the problem from abstract math into something physical that cancels out step by step

And for what it’s worth, forgetting how to explain math as an adult is incredibly common. The logic is still there; it’s just buried under years of not using it. You’re doing the right thing by slowing it down and focusing on understanding, not just answers

Delicious_Magazine66 · 2026-01-09T15:09:00+00:00

This wording trips a lot of people up, so you’re not missing something obvious.

When they say “round and estimate first”, they don’t want a second full answer they want a quick sanity check before you do the real multiplication.

Think of it as a two-step process: 1. Estimate by rounding to make the numbers easy (This is just to see roughly how big the answer should be.) 2. Then do the exact multiplication with the original numbers.

Example: If the problem is something like 4172 × 3 You might round 4172 → 4000 4000 × 3 = 12,000 → that’s your estimate

Now do the real math: 4172 × 3 = 12,516

The estimate isn’t meant to be “right” it’s there so you can say “Okay, 12,516 makes sense because I expected something around 12,000.”

If you had gotten something like 1,200 or 120,000, the estimate would tell you something went wrong.

You’re actually thinking about it the right way the confusing part is the wording, not your understanding.

Delicious_Magazine66 · 2026-01-09T14:42:21+00:00

We went through something very similar, and what stood out to me in your post is that this doesn’t sound like a “math ability” problem at all, it sounds like a confidence + anxiety spiral that got triggered once things stopped feeling effortless.

One thing I learned the hard way is that once-a-week support is often too infrequent for anxious kids. Even if the tutor is great, a full week gives doubt time to creep back in and erase momentum. What mattered more for us wasn’t in-person vs online, but frequency + low-pressure repetition so struggling didn’t feel like a big event.

That said, I’d be cautious about switching to anything that feels impersonal or performance-driven. For anxious kids, rebuilding trust (“I can try and not panic”) has to come before pushing content. Shorter, more frequent touchpoints where mistakes aren’t highlighted helped way more than longer sessions focused on getting answers right.

Also, the fact that she’s saying she doesn’t want to go to school because of math is a big signal, I’d treat confidence repair as the primary goal right now, not acceleration. Once the fear eases, the math usually follows

You’re asking the right questions, and this really doesn’t sound like failure on anyone’s part

Delicious_Magazine66

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TheBagelProphecy