Your child gets it in class on Tuesday, and by Thursday it's gone. If that sounds familiar, nothing is wrong with your child. That's how memory works for all of us.
Understanding something once and being able to do it on your own a week later are two different things. What turns the first into the second is practice, lots of it, with feedback. Here's what researchers have found, and how to make all that repetition feel good instead of boring.
Why this matters
New learning fades without practice
Everyone forgets new things quickly at first. Each time a child brings a skill back to mind, it gets a little stronger and fades a little more slowly. After enough tries, it stays.
Psychologists who compared ten common study techniques rated practice testing, answering questions from memory, among the most useful. Rereading and highlighting, the methods many of us grew up with, rated much lower (Dunlosky and colleagues, 2013). For a young child, a short set of math questions is practice testing. It's one of the best ways for kids to practice.
Children who struggle need it most
A review of 42 studies of math teaching for students with learning disabilities found that explicit instruction was one of the two approaches with the biggest gains (Gersten and colleagues, 2009). Children who find math easy may get by on fewer tries. Children who find it hard often need more, and they need to know quickly when something is off.
What feedback does
Feedback is one of the most powerful influences on learning. But it can help or hurt, and the kind of feedback matters (Hattie and Timperley, 2007).
- Feedback about the problem helps most. "You added the tens but forgot to carry the one" tells a child exactly what to fix.
- General praise helps least. "Good job" feels nice, but it doesn't tell a child what they did right or what to do next.
- Right away is easier to use. When a child finds out right after answering, the problem is still in mind and the fix makes sense. A worksheet marked three days later is much harder to learn from.
When a child is stuck, seeing a worked-out answer step by step can teach more than more struggling. It's the heart of direct instruction. Students who studied worked examples did better on new algebra problems, and learned in far less time, than students who learned by solving problems on their own (Sweller and Cooper, 1985).
Where kids get stuck
- Practicing a mistake. A whole page done the wrong way teaches the wrong way. Check the first few answers.
- Too hard for too long. If most answers are wrong, the work is too hard for now, and the main lesson becomes "I can't."
- Too long a session. Attention drops fast. Ten tired minutes teach less than five fresh ones.
- Feedback that stings. A red X or a sigh can make a child stop trying. Mistakes need to feel safe.
How you can help
- Check early. Look at the first two or three answers, so a mix-up gets caught before it repeats.
- Be specific. Name the step: "You lined up the numbers perfectly." "Look at the ones place again."
- Say "not yet." It tells your child a mistake is a step, not a verdict.
- Show, then let them try again. If they're stuck, work one example out loud, then hand back a similar one.
- Aim for mostly right. Lots of success with a little stretch keeps children practicing.
- Keep it short and regular. A few minutes, several times a week, adds up to many more tries than one long session.
How Bobby's Math Club can help
Bobby's Math Club brings these research principles to life, which is why I use it with my own kids every week. Here's what the club offers:
- Feedback right away. A right answer gets a quick celebration. A miss gets a gentle message and a second try, never a red cross.
- Shown how. If your child is still stuck, the answer appears with a short explanation they can listen to.
- "I don't know yet" is always OK. It shows the answer and moves on, with no fuss.
- A second look at mistakes. At the end of a session, your child can replay the questions they missed.
- As many tries as they want. About five minutes at a time, with unlimited practice.
Questions parents ask
Why does my child forget math they knew last week?
Everyone forgets new learning quickly at first. A skill becomes lasting only after it's been brought back to mind many times, spread over days and weeks. Short, regular practice is what makes it stick.
How many times does a child need to practice a math skill?
There's no single number. It depends on the child and the skill. Children who find math hard usually need more tries than others. The goal is to keep practicing, with feedback, until the skill feels easy, then keep bringing it back now and then.
What kind of feedback helps children learn math?
Specific feedback about the problem, given soon after the answer. "Count the last row again" tells a child what to fix. General praise like "good job" feels nice but helps less.
Should I correct my child's math mistakes right away?
While they're learning something new, yes, gently. Catching a mistake early stops it being practiced over and over. Let them try to fix it themselves first, and show them how if they're still stuck.
Isn't repetition boring for kids?
It doesn't have to be. Short sessions, lots of success, a little variety and celebrating progress keep practice feeling good. Children enjoy feeling themselves get better, and repetition is how that happens.
Is it OK to show my child the answer?
Yes, when they're stuck. Seeing a worked-out answer step by step can teach more than struggling alone. Then give them a similar problem to try on their own.
How does Bobby's Math Club give feedback?
After every answer, your child sees right away whether they got it. A miss gets a gentle message and a second try. If they're still stuck, the answer appears with a short explanation they can listen to. Unlimited practice is free for Pre-K through 5th grade.
Research behind this guide
- Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K. A., Marsh, E. J., Nathan, M. J., & Willingham, D. T. (2013). Improving students' learning with effective learning techniques. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 14(1).
- Gersten, R., Chard, D. J., Jayanthi, M., Baker, S. K., Morphy, P., & Flojo, J. (2009). Mathematics instruction for students with learning disabilities: A meta-analysis of instructional components. Review of Educational Research, 79(3).
- Hattie, J., & Timperley, H. (2007). The power of feedback. Review of Educational Research, 77(1).
- Sweller, J., & Cooper, G. A. (1985). The use of worked examples as a substitute for problem solving in learning algebra. Cognition and Instruction, 2(1).