Word Problem Helper
Math word problems hide the numbers and the question inside a story, and sometimes the reading uses up all of a child's attention before they reach the sum. This tool breaks each problem into clear steps: what is being asked, which numbers matter, which operation to use, and a simple picture to draw. The words stop getting in the way, and the thinking can come through.
Coming soon
A calm, step by step way through math word problems. It pulls out what is being asked, which numbers matter, and which operation to use, then helps your child draw a picture, so the words stop getting in the way.
We are building this tool. The moment it is ready it will appear right here: free, private, and running in your browser with no signup.
What the Word Problem Helper will do
A word problem asks a child to do two hard things at once, read a story and find the math hidden inside it. For a child with dyscalculia, or for a child whose reading difficulty makes the words extra heavy, that combination can feel like a wall. The math might be well within reach, but the words got there first. What helps is slowing the whole thing down and taking it apart, one clear step at a time, so nothing has to be held in mind all at once.
The Word Problem Helper will guide your child through four calm steps: figure out what is being asked, find which numbers actually matter, choose which operation fits, and draw a simple picture of what is happening. Each step is small and concrete, so the problem stops looking like a paragraph and starts looking like a plan. From kindlexy.com.
How it will work
- 1
Find what is being asked
Before anything else, your child finds the actual question. Naming what the problem wants takes away half the worry right away.
- 2
Pick out the numbers that matter
Together you mark the numbers the question really needs and gently set aside the extra words, so the page feels less crowded.
- 3
Choose which operation fits
With the question and the numbers clear, your child decides whether to add, subtract, multiply, or divide, one simple choice instead of a guess.
- 4
Draw a picture
A quick drawing of what is happening makes the answer something your child can see, not just something they have to imagine.