Word problems are the part of maths that even confident kids struggle with. There are a few simple techniques that help enormously — and none of them involve re-reading the problem five times.
Ask any group of primary school children which part of maths they find hardest, and word problems will come up every time. It is not the maths itself that gets them. Children who can solve 24 ÷ 6 instantly in their head will stare blankly at 'Sarah has 24 stickers and wants to share them equally between herself and her five friends.' The numbers are the same. The problem is reading the situation.
The Real Problem: Too Much Text, Too Little Image
Word problems are mini reading comprehension tasks in disguise. Children who struggle are often trying to hold too many pieces of information in their head at once. The fix is to get it out of the head and into a drawing. This sounds almost too simple, but it works consistently. Draw what is happening in the problem first. Then figure out what question is being asked. Then do the maths.
Find the Question First
Teach children to read the problem twice — once to understand the situation, and once to find the actual question (usually at the end). Underline or circle the question. Everything else is information you will use to answer it. This two-pass approach stops children from guessing what they are supposed to solve.
Key Words Are Helpful but Not a Shortcut
Many teachers teach lists of key words — 'altogether' means add, 'left' means subtract, and so on. These are useful as a starting point but children who rely on them too heavily make errors. Teach the words, but also teach children to check: does my answer actually make sense given the story?
Write the Number Sentence First
Before calculating anything, have them write the number sentence out. Even if they do not know the answer yet: '24 ÷ ? = ?' Getting the structure right is half the battle. Then fill in the pieces from the information given in the problem.
Use Their Own Experience
Make up word problems about things that are real to your child. Replace 'Sarah has 24 stickers' with 'You have 24 Pokemon cards.' The maths is identical, but the engagement is completely different. Children solve problems they care about much more readily than abstract ones.
💡 Quick Tips
- ✓Always draw the problem before solving it — even a rough sketch helps enormously
- ✓Find and underline the question first — do not start calculating until you know what you are solving for
- ✓Write the number sentence (equation) before filling in numbers
- ✓Make up word problems using your child's interests — football scores, game points, pocket money
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