Maths homework you don't understand yourself
Ask your child to teach you the method their teacher used, find the worked example, and check the answer a different way you do know. Methods like partitioning, number lines and bar models are new to many parents, but they are searchable and the maths underneath has not changed.
Ask Poppy is voice-first homework help for kids around 7 to 10, and teens and adults too: it asks what you have tried and gives one hint at a time, so you learn how to find the answer. Free with 30 messages a day, then $3.99/week or $9.99/month (US App Store) · iPhone, iPad, Mac
Written by the Ask Poppy team, who make one of the tools mentioned here. The advice works with any AI, or none. We haven't run a controlled study of our own app.
Five moves when the method is new to you
- "Teach me how your teacher did it." You become the learner. Explaining is great practice for them, and you see the method.
- Find the worked example. Most sheets have one at the top, or in the exercise book from that day.
- Name the method. Words like "partitioning", "number line", "bar model", "grid method" or "column subtraction" are searchable. Add the year or grade.
- Estimate first. "About how big should the answer be?" A rough answer catches most mistakes, whatever the method.
- Check a different way. Use the way you know, or the inverse (check a subtraction by adding back). Same answer two ways is a strong check.
Methods you may see, in plain words
| What it is | Example | |
|---|---|---|
| Partitioning | Split numbers into tens and ones, work on each, recombine | 47 + 25 = 40 + 20 and 7 + 5, so 60 + 12 = 72 |
| Number line | Count on or back in friendly jumps | 83 − 47: jump 3 to 50, 30 to 80, 3 to 83, so 36 |
| Arrays | Rows and columns of dots that show a multiplication | 3 rows of 4 is 3 × 4 = 12, and also 4 × 3 |
| Bar model | A drawing of a word problem as blocks | A bar of 24 split into 3 equal parts shows 24 ÷ 3 = 8 |
| Grid method | Multiply tens and ones separately in a grid, then add | 23 × 4 = 20 × 4 and 3 × 4, so 80 + 12 = 92 |
| Column method | The written method most parents learned | Required in England from Year 3 for addition and subtraction |
What school expects, by age
In England, pupils learn columnar addition and subtraction with up to three digits in Year 3, and should know multiplication tables up to 12 × 12 by the end of Year 4 (National Curriculum in England: maths); Year 4 pupils at state schools take a statutory multiplication tables check (GOV.UK). In US Common Core states, children should know from memory all products of two one-digit numbers by the end of Grade 3 (Common Core: Grade 3 operations). For times tables, our free times tables out loud tool helps.
When to tell the teacher
If neither of you can make sense of the worked example, write a short note: "We tried, and got stuck on this step." Teachers would rather know.
Where Ask Poppy fits
We make Ask Poppy, so weigh this accordingly. It's a voice-first thinking companion app for iPhone, iPad and Mac. A child holds to talk and Poppy speaks back; it asks what they already know and offers one hint at a time rather than leading with the answer. Parents can add up to three child profiles and open each child's conversations (children are told a parent can see them), and can switch Poppy's memory off for each child. It can look things up on the web and check national curriculum goals (fullest for Norway, Sweden and Finland; core subjects for England, France, Germany and Spain). Free with 30 messages a day, then $3.99/week or $9.99/month (US App Store). It is designed not to hand over the answer, but like any AI it can slip, and it can make mistakes. A one-button, screen-free Poppy device is in development. On askpoppy.ai you can reserve one with a fully refundable $30 toward a planned $200 price; estimated shipping is spring 2027 and the design may change. The app works fully on its own.
Sources (checked 4 Nov 2026): National Curriculum in England: maths · GOV.UK: multiplication tables check · Common Core: Grade 3 operations · Ask Poppy on the App Store. Ask Poppy facts are from the current app and its App Store listing. US prices; they vary by country, retailer and sale. Spot something out of date? Email [email protected].
Want a maths helper that asks your child to explain? Ask Poppy is voice-first homework help, built first for kids around 7 to 10 and their parents. Your child talks the question through, and Poppy asks what they've tried and gives one hint at a time instead of handing over the answer, so they learn how to find it. Parents set up each child's profile and can see their conversations, and memory can be turned off per child. Teens and adults use it too. A one-button, screen-free Poppy device is in development.
Free with 30 messages a day, then $3.99/week or $9.99/month (US App Store prices) on iPhone, iPad and Mac. (Disclosure: this site is made by the Ask Poppy team.)
Questions
How can I help with maths homework when I don't understand the method?
Ask your child to teach you. "Show me how your teacher did it" both helps them and shows you the method. Then look at the worked example on the sheet, search for the method's name plus the year or grade, and check the answer a different way you do know.
Why is maths taught differently now?
Many schools teach number sense first: breaking numbers apart, number lines, arrays and bar models, before or alongside the written methods many parents learned. England's National Curriculum still requires formal written methods such as columnar addition and subtraction, but alongside mental methods.
Should I show my child the way I learned it?
Only after they have tried the school's method, and say it is another way to check, not the "right" way. Two methods that give the same answer is a great lesson. If your method confuses them, drop it.
When should kids know their times tables?
In England, by the end of Year 4 (age 8 to 9) up to 12 × 12, with a statutory multiplication tables check. In US Common Core states, by the end of Grade 3, all products of two one-digit numbers from memory.
Related
- Times tables out loud (free tool)
- Photomath alternatives that teach the method
- How to help with homework without giving the answer
- Homework fights: a calmer 10-minute routine
- Teach kids to find answers themselves
- Times tables out loud (free tool)
- Should my 8 or 9-year-old use ChatGPT for homework?
- Guides on raising kids alongside AI