Your child can complete a page of calculations, but what happens when a question combines fractions, percentages and a word problem? If they suddenly become unsure where to start, the issue may be a gap in number sense rather than a lack of effort.

Grade 8 is an important time to find those gaps. Ontario’s Grade 8 Maths curriculum includes fractions, decimals, percentages, integers, proportions, square roots and scientific notation. Students are expected to use these ideas to solve problems, not only recognise them in separate exercises.

Here are the number skills parents can look for before their child moves into Grade 9.

1. Fractions: Can your child explain the operation?

A student may remember a rule for adding fractions yet struggle to explain why the denominators must match. They might also know how to multiply two fractions but hesitate when a question asks for a fraction of an amount.

Try asking:

A recipe needs ¾ cup of milk. You are making ⅔ of the recipe. How much milk do you need?

A learner who understands the situation can recognise that they need ⅔ of ¾, or ⅔ × ¾ = ½ cup. Ask them to explain why the result is smaller than ¾ cup. Their explanation reveals whether they understand the answer or have only followed a memorised procedure.

If fractions remain difficult, revisit equivalent fractions, simplifying and what each operation means before increasing the difficulty of the questions.

2. Decimals and percentages: Can they move between forms?

Fractions, decimals and percentages are different ways to describe a quantity. A Grade 8 learner should become comfortable moving between them and deciding which form is most useful for a problem. Ontario identifies this as part of Grade 8 number learning.

For example, can your child recognise that ⅜ = 0.375 = 37.5%? More importantly, can they use that relationship to solve a question about a discount, a test result or part of a group?

Watch for a common difficulty: a child may calculate 10% of $80 correctly but become stuck when asked for a 10% increase or 10% decrease. The calculation is only one step; they must also decide whether to add or subtract the result.

3. Integers: Do negative numbers make sense?

Negative numbers appear in calculations, number lines, temperatures and later algebra. A learner who relies on a remembered phrase such as “two negatives make a positive” may apply it in the wrong situation.

Ask your child to explain this question:

The temperature is −4°C. It rises by 9°C. What is the new temperature?

The answer is 5°C. A number line or a clear verbal explanation is more informative than the answer alone. It shows whether your child understands direction and distance.

4. Ratios and proportions: Can they scale a situation?

Proportional reasoning helps students make sense of recipes, prices, rates and percentage changes. It also prepares them for later work with relationships between quantities.

Try this:

Four notebooks cost $12. At the same price, how much would seven notebooks cost?

Your child could find the cost of one notebook first: $12 ÷ 4 = $3. Seven would then cost $21. Ask why that approach works and whether they could solve it another way.

If they can calculate when told “divide by four, then multiply by seven” but cannot choose the steps independently, give them more varied word problems.

5. Squares, roots and very large or small numbers

Grade 8 learners also encounter square numbers and roots, as well as scientific notation for representing very large and very small numbers.

Your child should know, for example, that 12² = 144 and √144 = 12. They should understand that 5.46 × 10⁶ represents 5,460,000, rather than treating the notation as an unfamiliar string of symbols.

The goal is to understand the size of a number and check whether an answer is reasonable.

A quick parent checklist

Give your child a few mixed questions without naming the topic first. Can they:

• Explain why an answer is reasonable?
• Choose an operation in a word problem?
• Work confidently with positive and negative numbers?
• Connect a fraction, decimal and percentage?
• Recognise when quantities are proportional?
• Show their steps clearly enough for someone else to follow?

A wrong answer is useful information. Look at where their reasoning changed course. Did they misunderstand the numbers, choose the wrong operation or make a calculation error? Each calls for a different kind of practice.

What should you do if you find a gap?

Start with one skill rather than giving your child a large collection of mixed worksheets. Ask them to explain a simple example, practise a few related questions and then try a new problem without help. Return to the skill several days later to check whether it has stayed with them.

If the same difficulty keeps appearing across topics, an academic diagnostic can help identify the foundation that needs attention. For instance, uncertainty with fractions can affect percentages, ratios and algebraic work.

At Glareminds, we support Ontario learners through one-to-one online Maths lessons. We identify the specific gaps behind a learner’s mistakes, teach the underlying ideas and help them practise applying those ideas to unfamiliar questions. Parents also receive updates on progress and the next areas of focus.

Is your Grade 8 child ready for Grade 9 Maths? Book a free academic diagnostic with Glareminds to find out which number skills are secure and which need support.