My child can't follow word problems. Is it language or maths?

Calculating well but struggling with word problems is common. It may be language, maths or both, so work out which first.

A simple way to tell

Read the problem aloud, or say it in simple words:

Your child can do it straight away: it's probably mainly reading comprehension.
They follow the story but don't know which sum to use: it's turning words into maths.
They know the sum but get it wrong: it's calculation.

Four steps to take a problem apart

Say it in your own words: what's happening here?
Circle what you need to find.
Draw it, or use a bar model, to show how the amounts relate.
Put the answer back in the story: does it make sense? A number of people can't be a decimal, for example.

Why word problems feel so hard

Word problems ask a child to read, hold information in mind and think, all at once, which is heavy on working memory. It's normal for younger children, or those learning in a second language, to find this hard.

Writing or drawing the information eases the load on memory. If your child reads maths in a second language, talk it through in their first language, then go back to the question.

What parents can avoid

Saying too soon whether to add or subtract. Children learn to guess the sum rather than understand the problem.
Teaching keywords such as "altogether means add". They stop working as soon as a problem changes slightly.
Looking only at right or wrong. Ask "how did you think about it?" as well.

When to look closer

If your child finds reading hard in every subject, talk to their teacher about whether they need support with reading. Understanding it early spares a child a lot of frustration.