How can i help my daughter with her math?

Question

I'm concerned about my daughter shes been failing math tests and i dont want her to fail grade 2 I have been using reader rabbit grade 2 and have been sitting with her to try to help her figure out the problems the trouble is I am not a very patient woman and I am tryingmy best to help her as best I can. I am a single mother and i just moved to a different town. I can't afford to pay for a tutor so im trying to help her I just need some ideas to help me stay calm i was raised by being smacked everytime i do something wrong and god help me i dont want to hurt her but it drives me insane when i go over something 30 times and give her a problem to solve on her own and she stares at it and wont do it, she claims she dosent know how even tho she did it with me just fine many times before.. i know for a fact her teacher dosent go through things with her constantly maybe a few times until she understands and she needs to learn to do it on her own but she wont HELP ME STAY SANE please......

I am not hurting her... its getting hard not to but thats when i stop and go for a smoke outside to cool off... I cannot afford a tutor so that isnt an option I am a single mom and i get no support from the father...he left and that was it she does fine answering questions as long as im there helping her how can i get her to do it on her own i know she dosent get constant one on one contact at school she needs to learn to work independantly thats the part im having trouble with

Answer 1

Mom...we are all there sometimes. It is ok to be frustrated. Call and ask to speak with the teacher. Tell her your concerns and situation. See if she herself is available for some extra help sessions.

In the meantime, think hard and find a way to APPLY the mathematics. Some kids just aren't black and white learners. Bring her somewhere and show her how math works.
Example: I have one box of cereal in the carriage...if I add one more how many do I have. There is alot of teaching that can be done AWAY from the books and computer. But you have to be creative and have fun with it. Don't do it on a day that you are rushing around and dinner is due any minute or whatever.....plan a trip to some place that will spark her attention...she likes animals bring her to the zoo and find math at the zoo. You get the idea.

Lack of patience is due to us parents trying to squeeze time with our kids in the middle of all of our chaos....we need to plan our time with our kids so they don't feel hurried and unwanted. She is probably not learning on purpose because she knows she is getting to spend extra time with you!

Good luck...and I admire your strength to go it alone.

Answer 2

not sure what her work is, but make sure she hasnt missed something in the past, that is holding her back, if you cant add, you cant multiply two numbers by two numbers etc,,, then
go over a problem , slowly, one time,, with her,,,,, give her a similar problem to do and 10 minutes to do it,,,, leave her at the table and you walk away, its great to have a kitchen timer, those egg shaped ones that are cheap, but you can use a microwave timer, or a watch or clock,,,,, go back after 10 mins, see if she has done it, if so, she gets a 5 min break, play with her, dance around etc,,,, if not, go over that problem, then give her another similar one,,,, walk away for 10 mins again,, let her know at the start of all this, how you are timing her,,,,,,,, i would say start at one half hour the first day,,,, work up to an hour,,,,,,, to two problems etc,,,, break it down into something not too overwhelming for her,,,,,,, if none of this works, the school should have free after school tutors,,,,,,, or else find a neighbors older child,,, they will be happy for a couple of dollars, to work with her a couple of evenings a week,,,,,, sometimes children just listen and learn better with a non parent,,,,,
you should be commended for not wanting to whack her,,, that only teaches violence

Answer 3

When I was young I also had problems understanding Maths, what I did was to master the basics, with help from my family and friends I was then able to build a solid foundation and this made understanding Maths easy.

I'm sure she is having difficulties understanding the subject because she has a weak foundation in maths and therefore you should start form the scratch, this would help her establish a good foundation then you could build up a step at a time. Let her do most of the thinking herself you only have to guide her.

I'm sure this would work all the best.

Answer 4

children in the same grade and in the same class often get together to do homework if practical. if there is such a child that your daughter likes, that "friend" may be able to "speak her language". That is, the other child may be able to explain the math in a friendly, fun way so that your daughter feels less pressure and sees that a child her age can and does understand the math exercises. Try it out and stay hopeful. You may need to try a few "friends" before you decide if this will work out for your daughter. You may even pick up some change if you are babysitting the "friend".

Answer 5

if you get mad at her, she is just going to feel discureged. just encourage her, and try and reward her for things she gets right... and maybe make it as fun as possible. im not too good at math myself. but just practice alot a day... even though she may take longer to understand... its the best thing to do since you cant afford a tutor now.... or maybe talk to her teacher and schedule some one on one time. she'll probably do better with personal learning, then being taught with the whole class... you just have to figer out the way she learns best.


good luck =]

Answer 6

16 right, 4 wrong (16 x 5) - (4 x 2) ... [20 - wrong]*5 - wrong*2 = 72 100 -7wrong = 72 .... 100 - 72 = 28 === 7 wrong; 28/7 = 4 {the number wrong} and 20 - 4 = 16 correct. Plug back in to prove. And that is how you do it without guessing (which my lightning fast mind did at first)

Answer 7

As I read your question, many things came to my mind. You have moved and she is in a new school and has to make new friends. Reader Rabbitt is great for her age. Just try to make learning fun. Arguing and fussing with her will not help. It may be that she picks up on your frustration and likes that attention.
Have you talked to her teacher? Most of them have email and also will talk to you on the phone if you can't go in person.
Good luck.

Answer 8

Never hurt a child. Violent behavior is wrong and shouldn't be acted toward a child. Rule Number 1. If you feel stressed take a break and come back to her later. Encourage her tell her she's doing good. Reward her for trying. Make it entertaining for her. All of these things you can do to make things better.

Answer 9

You should arrange a meeting with her teacher and tell her about your concerns. also ask her teacher to explain to you how she is teaching your daughter to resolve the math problems. That way you can help her at home using the same method the teacher uses.

Answer 10

im very unpatient myself. you dont have to pay for a tutor, you can ask her teacher to explain the things she doesn't understand to her, and if she still doesnt understand, try family members