Parents worried about their children's schooling most often mention two areas: reading and fractions. That is no accident, because both are foundations. If either is shaky, later topics get harder, and children often hide the difficulty until it is large. A child who cannot read fluently struggles in every subject, and a child who does not understand fractions meets the same wall in ratios, percentages and algebra.
This guide helps you notice gaps early, check them at home in a few minutes, and choose what to practise. It is not a diagnosis. If you are concerned about a learning difficulty such as dyslexia, speak with the teacher or a specialist. The short version is to look for the pattern, run a five-minute check, practise the lowest step your child cannot yet do, and keep sessions short and encouraging.
What are the signs of a gap?
Some signs are general. A child may avoid the subject or say "I hate maths" or "I hate reading," take far longer over homework than they should, get answers right but be unable to say why, guess often, or lose confidence even though their effort is high. Any of these can mean that a foundation is missing beneath the work they are being asked to do.
In fractions, a common sign is thinking that 1/8 is bigger than 1/4 because 8 is bigger than 4. Another is adding tops and bottoms, so that 1/3 + 1/4 becomes 2/7. A child may be unable to place a fraction on a number line, or may struggle to see fractions as parts of a whole and as numbers in their own right.
In reading, watch for a child who guesses words from the first letter or the picture, reads slowly and without expression, can read the words but cannot retell what happened, or avoids reading aloud. Frequent letter reversals or spelling that does not follow sounds is worth raising with a specialist if it persists.
What can you check at home in five minutes?
For fractions, ask a few questions and note where your child hesitates. Ask "Which is bigger, 1/2 or 1/4? Draw it." Ask them to show you 3/4 of a pizza. Ask "What is 1/2 + 1/4?" and watch for adding tops and bottoms, and ask where 1/2 goes on a number line from 0 to 1. The hesitation tells you more than the answer.
For reading, choose a short passage at your child's grade level and listen to them read aloud for one minute, noting the words they miss and how smoothly it flows. Then ask them to retell it in their own words, and ask one "why" question about the text. If they struggle on one of these, you have found where to focus.
What should you practise for fractions?
Build meaning before rules. Start with concrete objects such as paper strips, food and measuring cups. Move to visual models, such as number lines and bar models, and only then to symbols and algorithms, once the meaning is clear. Short, frequent sessions of about ten minutes a day beat long ones.
Fractions are easier when they are learned in a sensible order, so if your child is stuck, find the lowest rung they cannot do and start there.
- Halves and quarters of shapes and everyday objects
- Equal parts: why the pieces must be the same size
- Equivalent fractions (1/2 is the same amount as 2/4)
- Comparing fractions with the same denominator, then with different ones
- Placing fractions on a number line
- Adding and subtracting with the same denominator
- Adding and subtracting with different denominators
Skipping ahead is the usual cause of "adds tops and bottoms." A child who has not yet seen that 1/3 and 1/4 are different-sized pieces has no reason to think they cannot be added directly.
What should you practise for reading?
Match the practice to the gap. If the trouble is decoding, meaning turning letters into sounds and words, systematic phonics practice is the right tool. If it is fluency, repeated reading of the same short passage builds speed and expression. If it is comprehension, stop after each paragraph and ask "what just happened?", and if it is vocabulary, talk about new words in context. Reading aloud to your child continues to help at any age.
For most children a short, predictable routine works better than a long, occasional one. Spend about three minutes re-reading yesterday's short passage for fluency, then about seven minutes reading a new passage together, taking turns, and stopping to fix words by sounding them out and not by guessing from the picture. Finish with five minutes in which your child retells the passage and answers one "why" question. Praise effort and specific improvement, such as "you sounded out that long word," rather than general cleverness.
How do you keep your child's confidence intact?
Children who have fallen behind often decide they are "bad at" the subject, and that belief does more damage than the gap itself. Start each session with something they can do, name progress in concrete terms, such as "Last week you could not place 3/4; today you did," and let them make mistakes and find them. Keep sessions short and stop on a success where you can.
When should you ask for help?
Ask the teacher or a specialist if the gap has not narrowed after several weeks of regular practice, if your child is distressed, or if signs such as persistent letter reversals, very slow reading or difficulty with sounds keep appearing. Early support usually helps, and asking does not mean anything is wrong with your parenting. When you talk to the teacher, share what you noticed and not just the score, for example "She adds the tops and bottoms when the denominators are different." Teachers can act on specifics.
Where can AI help?
Patient repetition is something AI does well. A child can ask for a fifth explanation of unlike denominators without embarrassment, and good tools adjust the next question to the last answer.
But be careful. A default chatbot will solve the problem for them. Look for a tutor that asks the child to attempt first, gives hints in steps and uses visual, interactive practice for concepts like fractions.
Tutor AI is designed this way. It uses questions and interactive exercises to find where a child gets stuck, keeps returning to those points, and does not just hand over answers. For reading difficulties, it should complement, not replace, specialist support; research on AI reading tools for children with different needs is still early.
How will you know it is working?
After a month of short, regular practice, repeat the five-minute checks. Look for change in the specific thing you noticed at the start, not a general feeling. If the same error still appears, go back a rung or change the way you are explaining it. If it has gone, move up one step and keep the sessions short.
What should you avoid?
Do not compare your child with siblings, and do not assume that a gap is laziness. Do not rush to "catch up" with long sessions, which tire children and teach them to dread practice, and do not rely on one tool for everything. Steady, short, encouraging practice, with the teacher in the loop, is what closes most gaps.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if it is a gap or a learning difficulty? You cannot tell from home, and you do not need to. If practice on the lowest missing step does not help after several weeks, or your child is distressed, ask the teacher about an assessment.
How long should practice sessions be? Ten to fifteen minutes a day is enough for most children. Shorter and regular beats longer and occasional.
Should I use worksheets or apps? Either can work. Whatever you choose, make sure your child attempts first and that you can see what they did.
My child says they hate maths. What now? Start where they feel able to succeed, use objects and drawings, and praise specific progress. A negative feeling usually reflects the gap and not the subject.