Your child’s chances of acing math tests can improve if you do these things:

• Regularly quiz your child on basic math facts: 2 x 9, 12 - 4, 6 + 6, etc. Drill with homemade flashcards until your child can answer in fewer than three seconds.

• Resist telling your child the answers. Your child will learn better if you show him how to find the answer. For instance, if he doesn’t know what 3 x 5 is, have him draw three parallel horizontal lines. Cross them with five vertical lines. Then have him count the intersections to get the answer.

• Have your child practice writing numbers neatly. One quarter of the math errors kids make is due to messy number writing.

• Encourage your child to work more problems than the teacher assigns. Good math skills come with practice.

• Encourage your child to do math “in his head.” See if he can figure out a problem without using pencil and paper or a calculator.

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