Hello,

This is not untypical of some kids in school in any subject. As a child I was very turned off by math, I still am! When I taught first grade I saw this with some children too. The problem may be that he doesn't understand the math concepts taught at school. Many children will deflect their lack of understand by joking around or tuning out. I would suggest providing an opportunity for him to express, if this is the case, his lack of understanding with math concepts. Once he is comfortable letting you know he has trouble, then I think the two of you can work together to forge a path to greater math achievement. If he doesn't tell you, then just let him know you had trouble with math, even if it isn't true. He may be encouraged by your own struggles and then come out to you. Also, ask his teacher for help. They might be able to help you understand what is the major problem in math. You might want to also break down the math assignments your son has. Instead of doing the 10 problems he has, do 3 or 4. Work out a deal with the teacher. My philosophy has always been, if they know how to do 5 problems they can 50.

Here are some great ideas to do at home and relevant to our lives:
http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Home_Learning/

Finally, you should read the book The Math Curse. It is a great book that helps kids understand how complex math is yet how important it is too. Keep up the good work and your son will get it. Just keep encouraging him to do his best and you will see success!

I surmised by your question that you first grader is a boy. It appears that the issue may be about your sons€™ attention span. There are several reasons why this may be occurring. The most common one would be that he just doesn€™t have the emotional maturity to pay attention for any length of time in which case the parent and teacher would have a conference to decide if holding him back would be in the child€™s€™ best interest. Or he may be exhibiting signs of ADHD, which I believe is way over diagnosed. I suggest getting the book €œThe ADD Answer€" by Dr. Frank Lawless. Its one of the most comprehensive books on the subject and his remedy for this issue it totally chemical free and it€™s proven to work. I hope the above suggestions get you to the solution that will serve your sons academic needs. Thank you for being invested in your son€™s academic success.

Barbara Antinoro
Founder
Kid Angel Foundation
Education.com team