3rd Grade Math

Learning does not end in the classroom. Students who have supportive families who practice skills at home do better in school. These students also feel that school is important.

ways to help your child with third grade math
 

• Find everyday examples of multiplication and division for your child’s practice. Let her use drawings or small objects (buttons, dry beans, etc.). Ask her how she solved each problem.
• Have your child keep track of the multiplication and division facts he knows from memory, and those he is still working on. Play multiplication games with your child that involve playing cards or dice. For example, have your child roll two dice and say what the answer would be if they were multiplied. Have him write each answer on paper and add the answers as he goes along. Or two children can each have a stack of playing cards in a pile face down. They both turn over a card at the same time, and the first person who says the product of the two (multiplying them) gets to keep those cards.
• The Product Game is a fun and engaging online game to play with your child. It helps your child practice multiplication combinations.
• Give your child a variety of word problems using two-digit numbers with addition and subtraction. For example, use problems like “35 geese were on a field. Some more flew onto the field. Now there are 58 geese. How many new geese flew onto the field?” Encourage the use of mental math strategies . In this case, a child might count up by tens (45, 55) and then count up by ones (56, 57, 58) and keep track (2 tens and 3 ones is 23). Use some word problems with three-digit numbers also, like “454 students attended school one day. At lunch time, 124 students went on a field trip. How many students were left in the school?”
• Children in third grade should be able to do two-digit addition and subtraction with the standard written method. They might need help practicing it. A good set of videos available on the Khan Academy website give clear instructions.
• Help your child find fractions in everyday activities, including meals, games, objects in the house, etc.
• Some simple online “virtual manipulatives” for learning about fractions are on the National

• Help your child practice reading the time on both digital clocks and clocks with hands.
• Measure a variety of objects using a ruler that is marked in halves and fourths of an inch.
• Ask your child to help you measure out items for a recipe especially if using half a cup or a quarter cup. Ask her to tell you which measurement is bigger or smaller. Ask her to tell you how many half cups you would need to measure out four cups total.

Overall strategies for school success

• Meet your child's teacher as soon as the new school year starts.
• Ask the teacher about the process for regular communication between home and school.
• Read what comes home from school and keep in touch with your child's teacher, especially when you have concerns.
• Attend parent-teacher conferences.
• Establish a consistent routine to make sure your child gets homework done. Show an interest in your child's work.
• Always talk about school and the teacher in a positive way, even if you have concerns. It is important for children to see home and school as united.
• Establish regular routines for morning, after school, homework and bedtime.
• Make sure your child is getting enough sleep, so he can focus at school.
• Talk to your child daily about school and how she feels it is going. This shows the value of education.
• Monitor and limit your child's use of technology (TV, computer, internet, video-games, phone and social media).
• Encourage healthy eating and exercise habits.
• Celebrate your child's school success at home.