Elementary school is the foundation for a child’s educational progress and it is important to have a logical approach to teaching at this level. At the elementary school level, the instructors interact with students and work along with them through the exercises. The tutors help students to get comfortable with numbers. The role of an elementary school math tutor is to give children a firm foundation in mathematics. Students who are good at math are given challenges that tease their talent. Such challenges at the elementary level help build a strong foundation for sustained growth at higher levels.

A good tutor should assess each and every child through observation or an assessment program and based on the results devise a suitable method to address shortcomings in their math knowledge. For young children, computation and problem solving start with whole numbers which move on later to decimals, fractions, integers etc. This foundation is essential for tackling algebra at middle and high school level.

One way of looking at a child’s proficiency in math is the grade obtained by them. For children with poor grades, the elementary school math tutor should look for signs of lack of interest or enthusiasm in math learning. Generally young children love to learn math. Being a fascinating subject children love math related activities such as counting numbers, money and telling time by looking at the clock. Lack of interest can happen even to children who are otherwise capable. Children like challenges and if the math is not challenging enough, they tend to lose interest.

To be successful, the tutor should provide lessons specific to the age of the child. Math class for kids is not the place show the tutor’s math proficiency. The tutor should also have a proper assessment of each child and for this purpose communicate with the students, their parents and teachers alike. The parents on their part should explain to their tutors about their children and the turnaround expected as a result of the coaching. Such a target oriented approach makes tutors to work towards the goal. Children should be convinced about the need for such tutoring in math, which is not a punishment but just a supplement.