When a young person cannot remember a calculation fact, they can often work it out from a fact they do know. This is more reliable than guessing. You do not need to be confident at maths to help. School can give you the method, and your job is to ask the questions.

Ask school where to start

Ask the maths teacher which facts the young person knows well and which few to work on. Ask for one or two worked examples of the method used in class, so you can see it written down.

Three typical examples:

• 7 × 4 = 28 helps with 7 × 8. Eight is double four, so the answer is double 28, which is 56.

• To find 15% of a price, find 10%, halve it to get 5%, then add the two together.

• 298 + 47 is close to 300 + 47, which is 347. 298 is 2 less than 300, so take 2 away: 345.

Do the first one together

Sit with them for the first one or two. Ask:

• “What do you already know that’s close to this?”

• “What do you need to change to get from that one to this one?”

If they are stuck, say the fact they know and work out the change together. Write both facts down, so they do not have to hold everything in their head. Then let them try the next one while you watch, and step back as it gets easier.

Keep it short and calm

A few minutes on a small group of related facts is enough. Do not time them while they are still working facts out, and stick to the method school uses. If an answer is wrong, go back to the fact they know and try again.

If they still cannot see how one fact leads to another, tell the maths teacher which fact caused the problem.