7 Strategies for Tackling Math Word Problems

As the new school year begins, many students are starting to settle into their routines and rhythms. This is also the time when academic challenges can start to surface, especially as learning demands begin to increase. Math is often a subject for students that can quickly become challenging and many students often benefit from additional support specifically when it comes to math word problems.  

Why Math Can Feel Challenging

As students progress through school, they begin to form strong ideas about what they’re “good at” and what they are “not good at”. These self-perceptions can influence their confidence, motivation and mindsets, especially in subjects like math. That’s why it’s so important to provide the right support early on-helping students manage and persist through academic challenges rather than avoid them.

Purpose of Math Word Problems

Math word problems are powerful tools for learning because they help students with the following:

• Making sense of information
• Fostering critical thinking
• Applying problem-solving skills to real-world situations

However, word problems place heavy cognitive demands on students, requiring strong working memory, reading comprehension, and a solid grasp of foundational math concepts. They require students to read carefully, hold and manipulate multiple pieces of information, identify what’s relevant and apply the correct mathematical concepts-all at the same time. This can be overwhelming for many students. 

How You Can Help: Strategies for Supporting your child

The good news is there are simple and effective ways to support your student in building confidence with math word problems. Here are a few strategies to try:

1. Read the Problem Together: Encourage your student to read the problem out loud. Hearing the words can help them process the information and more clearly focus on important details in the text.
2. Share What You Know: After reading the problem, ask your student “what do you know?” This helps them articulate the key information provided in the problem. It also gives you a window into how they’re interpreting the text. Follow-up questions like “What else do you know from the problem” are also great ways to encourage a student if they are struggling to identify sufficient information. 
3. Identify What the Problem is Asking: Next, ask your student: “What is the problem asking us to figure out?” Have your student point out the part of the text that tells them what they need to solve. Highlighting or underlining this information is another helpful strategy during this step. This builds comprehension and helps students focus on what they need to do.
4. Restate the problem in their own words: Ask your child to paraphrase the problem. Putting it into their own words can deepen their understanding of the task and make it feel less intimidating. 
5. Break it down/ Key Word Strategies: Help your student identify the meaning of key math vocabulary (e.g. fewer, increases, how many more). This step reduces cognitive overload so students have to hold less information in their brain. Encourage your students to do the following:
   1. Highlight or circle key words
   2. Write down simple definitions
6. Visualize the problem: Encourage your student to draw pictures, create diagrams, or use number lines. Visual models make abstract concepts more concrete and can help them organize their thinking.  
7. Growth Mindset: Remind students that making mistakes is a part of the learning process. Helping your students engage in conversations about their thinking builds resilience and problem solving skills. If they feel stuck, ask open-ended questions like:
   1. What do you know so far?”
   2. What are you wondering?”
   3. “What might be a good next step to try?”
   4. When they get stuck- encourage a growth mindset by asking student what they know or what they wonder- having student be able to engage in conversation about 

With consistency, encouragement, and these simple strategies you can help your student feel more confident and capable when tackling math word problems. 

Written by Joi Ward, MA, M.Ed.