How to explain new math to your kid when you learned it differently
The new methods teach place value and number sense instead of a memorised procedure. You do not need to master them. Ask your child to teach you the method first, help with the reasoning rather than the arithmetic, and only show your own way after theirs is finished.
Multiplication is still multiplication. What changed is that schools now ask children to show why the procedure works before they are allowed to shortcut it. That is the entire reason the page looks strange to you.
The methods you are most likely seeing
- Number bonds — splitting a number into parts (8 = 5 + 3) so that adding across ten becomes obvious rather than memorised.
- Area models — a rectangle split into boxes for each place value. 23 × 14 becomes four small multiplications you add together. It is the long-multiplication you know, drawn out.
- Partial quotients — subtracting easy chunks in division instead of the guess-and-check of long division.
- Ten frames — a two-by-five grid that makes "how far to ten" visible for young children.
- Decomposing / regrouping — the new vocabulary for borrowing and carrying.
Why they teach it this way
The old algorithms are fast and opaque. A child can carry the one correctly for years without ever knowing they are trading ten ones for a ten. The new models are slower on purpose: they make the place value visible so that when the numbers get bigger, or turn into fractions and algebra, the reasoning is already there.
The move that works better than explaining
Ask your child to teach you the method. "I never learned it this way — show me how your teacher does it." This does three things at once: it tells you instantly whether they understand it, it puts them in the expert seat, and it avoids the confusion of two competing methods in one sitting.
If they get stuck teaching you, that is your answer about where the gap is — and you can help with the reasoning ("what is this box counting?") rather than the arithmetic.
When to show your own way
Stuck on the method
Get the concept in plain language.
Paste the math page or photograph it. You'll get what the method is doing, plus a worked example with different numbers.
After their method is finished, not instead of it. "Here's how I was taught — see how we get the same answer?" turns your method into a check, which is genuinely useful. Leading with it usually gets the homework marked wrong for not showing the required work.
When you genuinely cannot follow the page
This is the moment the teaching gap and the trust gap collide. Handing it to a homework solver produces an answer and teaches nobody anything. What helps is getting the concept in plain language first — what the method is doing and why — so you can sit next to your child rather than in front of the search bar.
Paste the assignment below and you will get the concept explained for you, plus a worked example using different numbers, so your child still does their own.
Frequently asked questions
What is an area model in math?
An area model is a rectangle split into boxes for each place value. For 23 × 14 you multiply 20×10, 20×4, 3×10 and 3×4, then add the four results. It is the same as long multiplication, drawn out so children can see where each partial product comes from.
What are number bonds?
Number bonds show how a number splits into parts — 8 is 5 and 3, or 6 and 2. Children use them to add across ten (7 + 5 becomes 7 + 3 + 2) so that mental arithmetic is built on place value rather than memorised facts.
Should I teach my kid the way I learned math?
Show it after their method is finished, not instead of it. Teachers usually require the taught method to be shown, so leading with your own can get correct answers marked wrong. Used as a second check — "same answer, different route" — your method is genuinely helpful.
How do I help with math homework I don't understand?
Ask your child to teach you the method first; that reveals exactly where the gap is. If neither of you can get started, get the concept explained in plain language with a worked example using different numbers, so you can guide the reasoning while your child still does their own problems.
Have a specific piece of homework in mind?
Paste it — or a screenshot of it — into the Homework Check on our homepage and ask your question. You'll get a plain-language read on whether the thinking looks like your kid's, what stood out, and the questions worth asking them. First check is free.