“Give her a multiplication question and she gets it right. Put the same maths into a story, and she does not know where to begin.”
Many parents of children in American curriculum schools in Nigeria recognise this pattern. Their child can add, multiply or work with percentages during a lesson. Then a homework question describes a shopping trip, a journey or a school project, and the child freezes.
It is tempting to respond with more calculation drills. But if the calculations are already secure, repeating them may not solve the difficulty. Your child may need help with understanding the situation, choosing a method and explaining why that method fits.
Here is how to find out where the problem begins—and what to do next.
Why Word Problems Feel Different From Ordinary Calculations
Consider these two tasks:
Calculate 8×158 \times 15.
Eight students each collect 15 notebooks for a school project. How many notebooks do they collect altogether?
The calculation is the same: 8×15=1208 \times 15 = 120. But the second question asks the child to do something first. They must understand that there are eight equal groups of 15, then choose multiplication.
Now imagine the question adds a second step:
Eight students each collect 15 notebooks. They donate 37 notebooks. How many do they have left?
The child must calculate 8×15=1208 \times 15 = 120, then 120−37=83120 - 37 = 83. Someone who starts by subtracting 37 from 15 may know how to subtract perfectly well. The gap is in making sense of the relationships in the story.
Problem solving and explaining mathematical thinking are part of widely used US mathematics standards. But “American curriculum” does not guarantee that every school follows the same sequence or materials, so use your child’s current schoolwork to guide support.
Find Out Which Part Is Difficult
When your child gets a word problem wrong, do not immediately demonstrate the full solution. Ask them to read the question and tell you what is happening.
Then check three things.
1. Do they understand the words?
Ask: “Can you tell me this story in your own words?”
A child may struggle because they do not understand a word such as remaining, each, difference or altogether. Sometimes the sentence is long enough that they lose track of who has what.
If your child cannot retell the situation even before doing maths, simplify the language together. Avoid treating every error as a calculation problem.
2. Can they see the mathematical relationship?
Ask: “What amounts do we know, and how are they connected?”
Your child might understand every word but still not see that the question describes equal groups, a comparison or a change over time. A quick sketch, table or number line can make the relationship visible.
3. Can they carry out the calculation?
If your child chooses the right method and then makes an arithmetic error, the difficulty is different. Practise the calculation itself and check any earlier skills it relies on.
A learner can have more than one gap. The point of these questions is to find out which part needs attention first.
Worked Example 1: Equal Groups Followed by Subtraction
A class has 7 boxes of markers. Each box contains 12 markers. The teacher gives 19 markers to another class. How many markers remain?
Step 1: Identify what is happening. There are seven equal groups of 12 markers. Some markers are then given away.
Step 2: Find the starting total.
7×12=847 \times 12 = 84
Step 3: Find what remains.
84−19=6584 - 19 = 65
Answer: 65 markers remain.
Ask your child why 12−1912 - 19 would be the wrong first step. Their explanation will tell you whether they understand that the teacher started with all seven boxes, not one box.
Next, change the numbers and context. If they can solve the new question without being told “multiply first,” they are beginning to apply the idea independently.
Worked Example 2: A Percentage in a Real Situation
A school club has 80 members. Thirty percent of them join the science project. How many members join the science project?
First ask: “What does 30% mean?” It means 30 out of every 100, or 30 hundredths of the whole group.
One way to calculate is:
30% of 80=0.30×80=2430\% \text{ of } 80 = 0.30 \times 80 = 24
Answer: 24 members join the science project.
Now ask whether 24 is a reasonable answer. Since 30% is less than half, the result should be less than 40, which it is.
A child might know how to multiply 0.30×800.30 \times 80 but not know why that calculation represents the story. Ask them to explain what the 80 and the 30% each describe.
If percentages are new to your child, begin with a visual model or familiar fractions before expecting them to use the decimal method confidently.
Be Careful With “Keyword Tricks”
Some children are taught to look for words such as altogether and always add, or left and always subtract. These clues can help in simple questions, but they are not dependable rules.
Consider:
Tolu had some pencils. After buying 6 more, she had 14. How many did she have at first?
The story includes “more,” but finding the starting amount requires 14−6=814 - 6 = 8.
Encourage your child to ask: “What is happening to the quantities?” A drawing or simple equation often helps more than hunting for one word.
A Five-Step Routine Your Child Can Use
Give your child the same short routine each time they meet an unfamiliar problem:
- Retell it. What is happening in the question?
- Name the unknown. What exactly do you need to find?
- Represent it. Can you draw a sketch, make a table or write an equation?
- Calculate. Carry out the operations you chose.
- Check. Does the answer fit the story and the units?
At first, you may need to ask these questions aloud. Over time, let your child use the routine without prompts. The goal is for them to start a new problem on their own.
How to Practise at Home Without Creating Homework Battles
Choose one or two word problems from topics your child has already studied. Give them time to think before offering a hint.
If they become stuck, provide the smallest useful prompt:
- “What are we trying to find?”
- “Could you draw the groups?”
- “What does this number represent?”
- “What must happen before we can answer the final question?”
Afterwards, ask your child to solve a similar problem with a different setting. A child who can answer only the original question may have remembered the steps without understanding them.
Keep a brief record of the kinds of problems they can solve independently. For example: “Can solve equal-group problems, but needs a prompt when a second step is added.” That is much more useful to a teacher or tutor than “Struggles with Maths.”
When Should You Ask the School or a Tutor for Help?
Speak with the teacher if the same pattern appears across several assignments, or if your child regularly needs someone to choose the operation for them. Bring two or three examples and ask which classroom skill they are working on.
Consider one-to-one support if your child understands lessons while guided but cannot start unfamiliar questions independently. Ask the tutor to assess both the arithmetic and the reasoning. A useful goal might be:
“Identify the quantities in a two-step word problem, represent their relationship and choose the operations without being told the method.”
Progress is visible when your child can explain why a method fits a new question—not simply when they finish more worksheets.
American Curriculum Maths Support in Nigeria
Glareminds offers one-to-one online Maths support for children following American and other international school curricula in Nigeria. We begin with the learner’s current work, identify where their thinking becomes stuck and practise the skills they need to solve new questions independently.
If your child attends an American curriculum school in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt or elsewhere in Nigeria and struggles with Maths word problems, book an academic consultation with Glareminds. Bring a recent assignment or test paper so the discussion starts with your child’s actual questions.
Book an academic consultation with Glareminds
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can my child multiply correctly but fail a multiplication word problem?
They may know the calculation but struggle to recognise equal groups in the story. Ask them to draw or describe what the numbers represent before choosing an operation.
Does struggling with word problems mean my child is weak in English?
Not necessarily. Reading the question can be one obstacle, but the learner may also struggle to connect quantities or plan multiple steps. Ask them to retell the question, represent it and calculate; notice where they become stuck.
Should my child memorise words that signal addition or subtraction?
It is better to understand the situation. A single word can appear in a question that requires a different operation from the one a child expects.
How can I tell whether tutoring is helping?
Give your child a new problem from a topic they have studied. Check whether they can identify what is asked, choose a representation, explain their method and solve it with fewer hints.