Math Problem Solving: Ask, Do Not Tell

🧭 What parents can do

When your child is stuck, ask the five questions in order, and wait longer than feels comfortable. Resist the answer. Struggle with support is where learning happens.

🪜 Step-by-step

1. Ask: what do you know?
2. Ask: what are you trying to find?
3. Ask: what method could you use?
4. Ask: can you solve it another way?
5. Ask: does your answer make sense?

🏡 Try this activity

Take tonight's dinner: "There are 4 of us and 12 dumplings. How many each? Is that fair?"

❓ Questions to ask

• “What do you know?”
• “What are you trying to find?”
• “What could you try first?”
• “Is there another way?”
• “Does your answer make sense?”

⚠️ Common mistakes

Saying "that's wrong" and solving it yourself. Wrong turns are part of the path.

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🔗 Related articles

• Math at Home: Real Life Beats Worksheets — Shopping, cooking, time and measuring — mathematics hiding in the day.
• When Multiplication Feels Hard — Go back to groups, repeated addition and arrays — then step forward again.