Parent Prize Portal

All articles

Every guide in the Math Prizes resource hub, newest first. Page 4 of 16.

Using Your Kid's Homework App the Right Way (Not as a Babysitter)

Using Your Kid's Homework App the Right Way (Not as a Babysitter)

A homework app can help your kid learn or quietly do the thinking for them. Here's how to tell the difference and set the thing up so it actually teaches.

Logan Moore · April 3, 2026 · 5 min read
Why Your Kid Says Math Is Boring (and Five Fixes That Aren't Bribes)

Why Your Kid Says Math Is Boring (and Five Fixes That Aren't Bribes)

When a kid calls math boring, they usually mean something more specific. Here's what the complaint hides and five ways to fix it without handing over screen time.

Sarah Bennett · April 2, 2026 · 5 min read
Skip Counting Games That Build the Bridge to Multiplication

Skip Counting Games That Build the Bridge to Multiplication

Before a kid can multiply, they need to feel the rhythm of counting by twos and fives. These skip counting games build that bridge without a worksheet.

Sarah Bennett · April 1, 2026 · 5 min read
Kids and Passwords: Teaching Basic Account Safety Before Age 10

Kids and Passwords: Teaching Basic Account Safety Before Age 10

You don't need to scare a kid to keep their accounts safe. Here's how I taught mine the password basics, in plain language, before they turned ten.

Logan Moore · March 30, 2026 · 5 min read
Signs Screen Time Is Cutting Into Sleep (and the One Change That Fixed It)

Signs Screen Time Is Cutting Into Sleep (and the One Change That Fixed It)

A tired third grader can look a lot like a struggling one. Here are the signs screens are eating into sleep, and the one change that turned it around.

Sarah Bennett · March 29, 2026 · 5 min read
Long Division, Finally Made Clear for the Parent Helping at the Table

Long Division, Finally Made Clear for the Parent Helping at the Table

Long division falls apart when a kid chants the steps without knowing why. Here is how to teach it so each step actually means something.

Sarah Bennett · March 28, 2026 · 6 min read
Multiplication Facts for the Kid Who Says 'I'm Just Bad at This'

Multiplication Facts for the Kid Who Says 'I'm Just Bad at This'

When a kid decides they're bad at multiplication, more flashcards make it worse. Here is how to rebuild the facts and the confidence at the same time.

Sarah Bennett · March 27, 2026 · 5 min read
How To Reframe a Bad Math Grade So It Builds Instead of Breaks

How To Reframe a Bad Math Grade So It Builds Instead of Breaks

A low math score can teach a kid they're bad at math, or it can teach them exactly what to fix. The difference is the first thing you say.

Sarah Bennett · March 26, 2026 · 5 min read
Is a Math App Actually Helping My Struggling Kid, or Just Keeping Them Busy?

Is a Math App Actually Helping My Struggling Kid, or Just Keeping Them Busy?

Your kid uses the app every day and the grades haven't moved. Here is how to tell whether it's teaching them or just filling twenty quiet minutes.

Logan Moore · March 25, 2026 · 5 min read
How to Try a Math App With Your Kid Instead of At Them

How to Try a Math App With Your Kid Instead of At Them

Handing a kid a math app and walking away is the fastest way to waste it. Here is how to sit down for the first ten minutes and get it right.

Logan Moore · March 23, 2026 · 5 min read
Beach and Pool Math: Counting Laps and Estimating Depth

Beach and Pool Math: Counting Laps and Estimating Depth

The pool is full of math nobody assigned. Laps, depth, timing, and towels all hide real numbers, and summer is the easiest time to let a kid notice them.

Sarah Bennett · March 22, 2026 · 5 min read
A Realistic Weekly Math Plan for the Whole Family

A Realistic Weekly Math Plan for the Whole Family

Most family math plans assume a calm, empty week that nobody actually has. Here's one built for the real thing, with short slots and permission to skip.

Sarah Bennett · March 21, 2026 · 5 min read
The Fourth-to-Fifth Grade Math Bridge: Decimals Are Coming

The Fourth-to-Fifth Grade Math Bridge: Decimals Are Coming

Fifth grade opens with decimals, and the kids who struggle aren't bad at decimals. They're shaky on the fraction and place-value ideas underneath them.

Sarah Bennett · March 20, 2026 · 5 min read
Using a Math App for Daily Practice Without Creating a Screen Fight

Using a Math App for Daily Practice Without Creating a Screen Fight

The problem usually isn't the math app. It's the handoff when the timer runs out. Here's how to build a daily habit without the meltdown at the end.

Logan Moore · March 19, 2026 · 5 min read
When Homework Turns Into a Power Struggle, Try This

When Homework Turns Into a Power Struggle, Try This

The nightly homework fight isn't really about the homework. Here's how to step off the enemy side of the table and turn it back into ten quiet minutes.

Sarah Bennett · March 18, 2026 · 4 min read
Praise, Points, and Prizes: Layering Rewards Without Overdoing It

Praise, Points, and Prizes: Layering Rewards Without Overdoing It

A reward system for kids that works isn't about bigger prizes. It's about layering praise, points, and prizes so effort gets noticed and nothing gets cheapened.

Sarah Bennett · March 17, 2026 · 5 min read
Family Game Night Ideas That Slip Math Past the Whole Table

Family Game Night Ideas That Slip Math Past the Whole Table

The best math practice at our house never looks like math. Here are family game night ideas that build real skills while everyone thinks they're just playing.

Sarah Bennett · March 15, 2026 · 5 min read
Streaks in Kids Apps: The Feature Designed to Make Missing a Day Hurt

Streaks in Kids Apps: The Feature Designed to Make Missing a Day Hurt

The little number that counts your kid's days in a row isn't there to help them learn. Here's what a streak is actually built to do, and how to use it anyway.

Logan Moore · March 14, 2026 · 5 min read

What to Do When Grandma's House Has No Screen Rules

Your careful screen limits evaporate the second your kid walks into Grandma's living room. Here's how to handle it without starting a family war.

Sarah Bennett · March 13, 2026 · 5 min read

Multi-Digit Multiplication at Home: The Standard Way, Explained Simply

The standard multiplication algorithm has two spots where kids fall apart. Here's how to teach it at home so both of them make sense.

Sarah Bennett · March 12, 2026 · 4 min read

The Commutative Property Cuts Your Child's Memorizing Almost in Half

There are far fewer multiplication facts to learn than the table makes it look. One simple idea cuts the memorizing work almost in half.

Sarah Bennett · March 11, 2026 · 5 min read

My Kid Says 'Math Is Pointless': Answering It Without a Lecture

The line 'math is pointless' is rarely about math. Here's how to respond without a speech, and what your kid is usually really saying.

Sarah Bennett · March 10, 2026 · 5 min read
When Every Math Session Ends in a Fight: Resetting the Dynamic

When Every Math Session Ends in a Fight: Resetting the Dynamic

If math time has become a nightly standoff, the worksheet is not the real problem. Here is how to reset the dynamic before it hardens into a habit.

Sarah Bennett · March 8, 2026 · 5 min read
Offline Math Tools: What to Load Before a Long Car Ride

Offline Math Tools: What to Load Before a Long Car Ride

Somewhere past the last cell tower, the streaming stops and the whining starts. Here is what to load before you leave so math travels with you.

Logan Moore · March 7, 2026 · 4 min read
← NewerOlder →