Questions to ask when helping your child with homework

Questions to ask when helping your child with homework

• What is the problem about? Explain it to me in your own words.
• Is there anything you did in class to help you get started?
• Can you make a diagram or draw a picture?
• Could there be any missing or extra information?
• Can you solve a simpler version of the problem?
• What have you already tried? What steps did you take? 
• Can you tell me what you know so far?
• What is the important information you need to solve the problem?
• Can we break the problem down?
• Is there a pattern?
• Does the answer make sense?
• Could there be more than one answer? How do you know?
• Did you do all the parts of the problem?
• Did you check the arithmetic?
• Did you label your answers?
• Did you show all your work?
• What did you think you were supposed to learn from this homework?
• What new questions or problems might you now pose and explore?

Adapted from: Helping Your Child with Math at Home, Parker, 2006.