How to Get a Child Up on Grade Level With Math Skills

Math is a school subject that children typically struggle with. When they fall behind it can be devastating to their academic lives and may result in them having to take summer school. Luckily, there are a number of methods parents and teachers can use to help a child get caught up in his grade level in math. By learning these methods, you can take the necessary steps to help your child improve his math skills and catch up with his peers.

It doesn't matter what age your child is; kids as young as 5 and as old as 17 love video games. There are a number of math apps for kids of all grade levels available on smartphones and tablets that can help improve your child's math skills and get him caught up in the curriculum. Math Fact Master by Common Sense Media helps second grade students enhance their addition, subtraction, multiplication and division skills in two addictive and fun modes that include flashcard style and challenge style. Mathway is a great app for junior high and high school students who need extra help in boosting their knowledge in basic math, pre-algebra, algebra, trigonometry, precalculus, calculus and statistics.

You would think your child would want to study hard to get passing grades (or even exceptional grades) with the objective to be successful in school and open up opportunities for college, but sometimes kids need a little extra motivation, like cash for good grades. "The Denver Post" published an article that examined the effects cash incentives had on students' eagerness to study and on their grades. The results proved to have a positive impact on getting kids to study harder, and students expressed feeling that their "hard work pays off." Offering your child a cash incentive to academically catch up in math may be a great way to launch him into the habit of studying.

Pairing your child with a tutor is a great way to help him get caught up in math. If your child is in high school, he should be able to find a student tutor -- usually someone enrolled in an AP class that has agreed to help tutor other students in order to pad her college applications. If your child is in elementary school, there are a number of sources for finding math tutors. There are many tutoring services that are independent of your child's school. Sylvan Learning Centers are a prime example; these programs work one-on-one with kids to help them get caught up in math, and they have locations all over America.

There are many study books out there that help students get caught up in math by teaching better study habits. "Math Study Skills" by Pearson Education arms students with study strategies and advice to improve their time management, organization and test-taking skills. The book also teaches various math skills through a workbook. "Mastering Essential Math Skills: 20 Minutes a Day to Success" is ideal for junior high students. Written by author and award-winning math teacher Richard W. Fisher, this book boasts a system that has been proven to help motivate kids and improve their math skills.