Money Sense

Written by Megan Jensen

Parents frequently ask me what they can do to help their children develop math skills. Children have an inherent interest in handling money. Giving them opportunities to assist in making payments and counting out change will develop a better sense of decimals and improve their mental math calculations. Here are a few ideas of how to highlight and enhance those moments to develop skills.

Younger children can use coins of the same value to practice skip counting. Start with dimes, then move to nickels and quarters. Once they have mastered counting up (e.g. 25, 50, 75, 100, 125…) have them count backwards (eg. 125, 100, 75, 50, 25, 0). Have your child manage your coin purse and provide the correct amount of change to pay for a purchase. They can work on finding specific amounts or estimating what would be the closest amount needed to cover the cost.

Counting out a random amount of change is great practice in grouping. When there is a long list of numbers to add, we naturally group items together into chunks that are easier to add. Coins provide a natural way to practice this skill. Give your child a handful of change (or have the cashier hand it to them) and let them count it out. Look to see how they group coins. If they are struggling, suggest they start with quarters then move to dimes, nickels, and lastly pennies. If they use a different (or more arduous) method, show them how you would have counted it out. As long as you get to the same amount there is no “wrong” answer, but some ways are much more efficient.

Older students should be able to help you with other payment shortcuts. They should be able to predict the amount of change based on the charge, and can then check the receipt to see if they were correct. Have them determine what would be the best amount of money to give a cashier to minimize the coins returned (e.g. If a bill is $4.57, by paying with $5 and 1 nickel and 2 pennies, you would get back 2 quarters instead of 43¢ in change).

By middle school, students should be able to quickly assess simple percentages in their head. Have your child estimate the tip on a restaurant bill or calculate the savings of an sale item. Finding 10% of any amount is very simple since you only need to move the decimal over one place (e.g. 10% of $15. 40 would be $1.54 or approximately $1.50). Using this as a benchmark, students can double the amount to determine what 20% of a bill is (e.g. 20% of $15. 40 would be approximately $3). Once they are able to do this consistently they can estimate 15% of a bill by finding 10% (e.g. $1.50) and 5% (e.g. 75¢) and adding the two together (e.g. $1.50 + 75¢= $2.25).

Homework Help

Written by Judy Germick

While meant to reinforce and extend classroom learning, homework is often a source of confusion, frustration, and stress for parents and students alike.  Parents can help by making homework a priority and helping students develop good study habits.  This will also help students develop a sense of responsibility and a work ethic that will serve them well throughout their lives.

Here are some other helpful homework tips:

  • Communicate with teachers. Keep in contact throughout the school year to stay aware of your child’s progress. Attend Parent-Teacher conferences. Ask how you can help your child succeed.
  • Encourage good study habits. Make sure your child writes down assignments and due dates in a notebook or planner. If an assignment seems to be troublesome, send a note to the teacher, pointing out problem areas.
  • Create a strategy.  On nights of heavy homework or major projects are assigned, teach your student how to break up the work into chunks. Plan out a schedule, including break times.
  • Teach your student to be a strong self-advocate. Urge him or her to make the teacher aware of any difficulties they are experiencing in the classroom.
  • Seek help. When a student consistently has a hard time remembering, understanding, or completing homework, underlying issues may be the cause. Our staff atStrategies for Learning is here to provide homework help as well as assessment and consultation, academic support, and remediation.

Strategies for Learning is also launching Homework Help Club at schools in the Oakland/Berkeley area. Strategies for Learning will coordinate with your school to provide on-campus support for students. If you are interested in having trained clinicians work with your child in a fun and supportive environment, among their peers, please contact Amber Nash, Clinic Coordinator.

Navigating the New School Year

Tips for getting back to school

Written by Judy Germick


To the cheers of some or the chagrin of others, summertime has come to a close, and a new school year has begun. Whether your child entered school for the first time or is a high schooler, this is a time of renewed hopes and fears for both parents and students. It is important to remember, however, that it is a new year, a clean slate.

Six Tips for a Better School Year

Whether last year was stellar or not so great, there are some simple steps you can take to lay a foundation for a successful school year this time around:

1. Make sure your child knows that you are confident that he or she will strive to do their best. Let them know that you will strive to help them achieve their goals. Enlisting the help of a professional tutor is an effective learning support for students.

2. Make contact with your child’s teacher(s). Request that you be informed if the teacher notices any difficulties your child might have with paying attention or remembering or completing assignments. This may indicate an executive functioning issue. Open lines of communication between home and school are essential for successful learning.

3. Have your child set some goals. What would he like to accomplish this school year? For example, one goal might be “learn to do something well that he doesn’t want to do,” or agreeing to “try out a new strategy for mastering math facts.” Write them down for future reference.

4. Set up a homework schedule and school-day rules and expectations. Do this in collaboration with your child. During these first few weeks of school, pay special attention to how your child plans, organizes, and manages their time and space. Problems in any of these areas may signal executive functioning trouble.

5. Keep bedtimes and routines consistent. Make sure all media use and any physical play/rough housing ends a half-hour before bedtime.

6. Communicate with your child. While many kids don’t talk much about experiences, if you wait until they’ve had some time to unwind and play after school, they might more easily share more information about their day. Listen carefully for any concerns or fears about school performance. Quick action could prevent bigger problems down the line.

We all want our children to benefit from their school experiences and develop a propensity for life-long learning. Now that the book bags have been bought, and the first-day-of-school pictures have been snapped, it’s time to re-pave the pathway towards a successful school year. Our staff at Strategies for Learning is here to help you and your child achieve this goal by providing academic support, homework help, remediation, assessment and consultation.