Can't help with maths homework yourself? Here's what to do instead
You don't need to remember how to divide fractions to make a real difference to your child's maths results.
Your child slides their maths book across the table and asks for help with fractions. You look at the page. The method looks nothing like the one you learned at school. You don't recognise the notation, you can't remember the rule, and now you're Googling "how to divide fractions" while your child waits, watching you struggle.
If this sounds familiar, you're not failing your child. You're one of thousands of South African parents who want to help with maths homework but genuinely don't feel equipped to. The good news: you don't need to re-learn Grade 6 maths to make a real difference to your child's results.
Why this feels so much harder than it should
Maths hasn't just gotten harder — it's often taught differently to how you learned it. CAPS classrooms increasingly use number lines, grouping strategies, and visual models to build understanding, rather than the column methods many parents grew up with. So even parents who were strong at maths in school can feel lost helping with a Grade 3 subtraction problem, because the method being asked for isn't the one they know.
Add to that a full working day, other children needing attention, and a subject you may have avoided since your own school years, and it's no wonder homework time can feel like a source of dread rather than connection.
Here's the part that gets missed: your child doesn't actually need you to know the answer. They need something else entirely.
What your child really needs from you
Research on homework support consistently points to the same conclusion — the parents who make the biggest difference aren't the ones solving problems for their child. They're the ones providing three things:
- Structure. A predictable time and place for maths practice, free of distractions, so it doesn't become a nightly negotiation.
- Encouragement. Calm reassurance that mistakes are part of learning maths, not evidence that something is wrong with your child.
- Follow-through. Making sure practice actually happens consistently — even if you can't check whether the working is correct.
None of these require you to understand fractions, algebra, or trigonometry. They require presence and consistency — which is something every parent can offer, regardless of their own maths background.
Tools that do the "knowing the answer" part for you
Where most parents get stuck is the marking. You can sit next to your child while they work, but if you can't tell whether their answer is right — or explain why it's wrong — the exercise loses most of its value.
This is exactly the gap that a tool like Equals2 is built to close. It's a CAPS-aligned maths practice app covering Grade 1 through Grade 12, and it does the parts a non-maths-confident parent can't:
- Marks each question instantly, so your child gets immediate feedback instead of waiting for you to check
- Tracks performance over time and identifies exactly which topics are weak
- Automatically serves more practice on those weak areas — no guessing what to work on next
- Lets your child go back a grade or term if a gap started earlier, without you needing to diagnose it yourself
- A new feature coming soon lets your child request extra questions on whatever topic they're currently covering in class
In other words, the app becomes the "person who knows the maths" in the room, so your job shifts to the part you're already equipped for: showing up, encouraging, and making sure it happens.
A weekly routine you can run without opening a textbook
You don't need a plan that requires maths knowledge — just consistency. Try this:
- Pick a fixed slot, 15–20 minutes, 3–4 times a week — same time each day if possible, so it stops being a negotiation.
- Sit nearby, even if you're not checking the work yourself — your presence matters more than your maths ability.
- Ask about the app's feedback, not the maths itself: "What did it say you got wrong?" or "What's it giving you more practice on?"
- Celebrate the streak, not just the score — consistency is the thing you're actually building.
- Check in weekly on which topics have improved, using the progress the app already tracks for you.
Over a few weeks, this becomes routine rather than a battle — and you'll have contributed meaningfully to your child's maths progress without ever needing to solve a single equation yourself.
The bottom line
Not being confident in maths yourself doesn't disqualify you from helping your child succeed in it. What your child needs most — structure, encouragement, and consistent practice — doesn't require a maths degree. Pair that with a tool that handles the marking and diagnosis, and you've covered the whole picture.