6 Bad Math Habits Children May Develop—and How to Fix Them

As children move through their math journeys, they use whatever methods they believe will get them results, whether that's passing a test or finishing the school year with a good grade. 

Along the way, it is easy for them to form habits they think are helping them, but that may do more harm than good.

Today, Mathnasium education specialists highlight six unhelpful math habits we frequently see in our work with students, along with tried-and-tested strategies for overcoming them. 

1. Relying on Memorization Instead of Understanding

Learners rely on memorization because remembering a rule, formula, or set of steps can feel like the fastest way to finish homework or maybe pass a math test. 

Although memorization can help your child recall math facts and steps quickly, it can hold them back when they don't understand the ideas underneath. 

In practical terms, this is the student who can repeat a rule or complete familiar steps but becomes unsure when the problem changes slightly. They do not truly understand the concept.

The National Mathematics Advisory Panel report identified conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, and automatic recall of facts as mutually reinforcing components of math proficiency. So the ability to memorize or recall math facts does matter, but it needs to be based on true understanding to serve the student long-term. 

Here, at Mathnasium, we help students move beyond memorized rules by asking them to explain the reasoning behind their answers (among other tactics). You can use the same approach during short review sessions at home and ask your child to explain how they reached each answer. 

When your child uses a rule or formula, ask questions such as:

• How do you know?

• Why does that work?

• Can you show me another way?

The more your child explains their reasoning, the more they connect a procedure to the idea behind it. Gradually, this habit helps them choose and adapt math strategies on their own, even if a problem doesn't match anything they've memorized before. 

2. Looking at Help or Answers Too Soon

This is one unhelpful math habit parents may notice outside of math too. When your child encounters a difficult problem, do they try to resolve it themselves or look for the answer before giving themselves a chance to work through it?

Here is what it may look like in math: 

• Checking the answer key before attempting the question

• Asking, "What do I do?" instead of explaining what they know or have tried

• Searching for a video solution right away

• Copying the method from a worked example without considering whether it fits the new problem

• Giving up when the first strategy doesn't work

Learners who skip steps such as identifying what the problem is asking or recalling what they already know have fewer opportunities to make decisions independently. As this habit develops, they may start to believe they need help whenever a problem isn't immediately familiar. 

When working on this habit, the Institute of Education Sciences' practice guide recommends teaching students to monitor and reflect on their problem-solving process. Simple prompts can help them identify what a problem is asking, recall similar problems, try a visual representation, and check their work.

If your child gets stuck on a math problem, give them a little time to think before stepping in with the answer. That pause can help them work out what they know and decide what to try next.

You can ask:

• What is the problem asking you to find?

• What information do you already know?

• What have you tried so far?

• Can you draw it, organize the information, or try a smaller example?

• Which part feels confusing: the question, the first step, or the calculation?

At Mathnasium, our tutors use similar prompts to encourage productive struggle. We give students time and space to work through challenging problems, stepping in with support when they need it.

Our aim is to help children learn when to keep trying and when to ask for support as they work through challenging problems. 

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3. Trying to Do Too Much Work Mentally

Mental math, or solving a calculation in your head, is a valuable part of number sense. It helps your learner estimate, spot patterns, and work efficiently with facts they already know well. 

The habit develops when a student tries to keep track of more information than they can comfortably hold in mind and doesn't write down enough work to organize their thinking. 

Let's say your learner is working through 347 − 168 + 59. They might try to solve the whole expression mentally. Even if they know how to add and subtract, keeping several intermediate values in mind at once can make an otherwise manageable problem harder to track. 

For an older student, the same habit can show up in multi-step algebra, where one forgotten intermediate value or negative sign can change the final answer, even if they understand the equation. 

Over time, these slips can make multi-step math feel confusing and can make it harder for a learner or teacher to see where the problem first occurred.

Research helps explain why. A 2023 analysis of primary school students found a significant correlation between working memory and arithmetic performance and showed that both mental and written arithmetic draw on working memory to a similar degree. 

Writing down intermediate steps can therefore reduce the amount of information your learner needs to hold in mind at once.

You can encourage them to:

• Use mental math for quick facts, estimation, and simple number relationships.

• Write down intermediate results during multi-step calculations.

• Record one equation step at a time when solving a longer problem.

• Use a diagram, number line, table, or scratch work when a problem includes several pieces of information.

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4. Not Checking Work

There’s a good chance you’ve experienced this before, where you are confident your child understands the math but they lost points because they copied a number incorrectly, missed a negative sign, skipped part of the question, or made a simple calculation slip.

Checking work can feel like a parent pet peeve, but it's more than a final “be careful” reminder. It's a foundational habit that helps children take responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of their own work. 

The habit can start early and look different as math skills become more complex: 

• Young children: Count again or use objects to make sure the answer matches what they found.

• Elementary students: Estimate the answer, use an inverse operation, or reread the question.

• Older students: Substitute an answer back into an equation, check units and signs, or make sure they answered every part of a multi-step problem.

Why do some learners skip checking their work? 

Several factors can contribute to this habit. Some see math as a race to the answer, while others may view checking as redoing the entire problem or simply lack a clear strategy for reviewing their work. 

Regardless of what leads a learner to skip checking, repeated errors can make a child less secure in a skill. We want to make checking a natural part of solving, because it later gives them a chance to recognize patterns in their mistakes and catch errors independently. 

Instead of simply telling your child to “check your work,” give them a short routine they can use each time:

• Did I answer the question that was asked?

• Does my answer make sense?

• Can I check it differently, using a different approach?

The last question can look different depending on your child’s age and the problem. For example, younger learners might use objects to check an answer, while elementary students could estimate to see whether the result is reasonable. An older student, on the other hand, might substitute a value back into an equation.

When we keep the routine short and consistent, it gives the child a clear way to review their work without turning every problem into a second round of solving.

At Mathnasium, tutors build checking into problem-solving, helping students learn to review their work, spot errors, and make corrections on their own. 

5. Cramming Before Math Tests

Most of us remember cramming as students; putting off review until the night before a test, then trying to fit a week, or even a whole unit of learning into one long study session. It may feel productive in the moment, but it rarely leads to the lasting understanding students need.

Cramming is appealing for understandable reasons but math makes this especially costly because new skills build directly on earlier ones. If your child relies on cramming, they may start to see math as a collection of separate rules. As a result, connecting new ideas to what they already know can become more difficult. 

In two experiments, 216 college students learned a math procedure and were tested either one or four weeks later. Students who split 10 practice problems across two sessions a week apart scored roughly twice as well on tests as those who completed all 10 problems in a single session, even though both groups put in the same total practice.

At Mathnasium, a strategy for breaking the cramming habit is building regular review into a child’s learning routine. Here, we revisit previously learned skills so students have regular opportunities to use them again.

At home, keep review short and predictable:

• Once or twice a week: Set aside a brief math-review session.

• Mix old and new: Include one or two questions from the current topic and one or two from an earlier skill.

• Explain the thinking: Ask your child to explain one strategy or solve one problem without looking at notes.

• Use test week to check, not cram: A few days before a test, use the session to identify what still needs attention rather than starting all the studying from scratch.

Review should become a regular part of learning. It gives students opportunities to revisit skills over time. 

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6. Treating Mistakes as Judgment Rather Than Information

In math, an answer can seem either right or wrong, and that can make a mistake feel less like part of learning and more like proof that a child isn't good at the subject.

Learners can take their cues from how the adults around them react. If attention centers mainly on grades, speed, correct answers, or being “smart,” a child can start to see mistakes as something to avoid. This can make them more hesitant to work through challenging problems because mistakes feel public or tied to performance.

Eventually, your learner may start to see errors as evidence that they simply aren't good at math. This can make it harder for them to use mistakes as clues about what to try next. If that pattern goes unaddressed, your child may become more vulnerable to anxiety in situations where math is timed or evaluated. 

This pattern also appeared in a 2007 study published in Child Development. Among 373 seventh graders, students who believed intelligence could grow showed increases in their math grades over two years of junior high. Among peers who viewed intelligence as fixed, grades remained relatively flat.

If your child gets an answer wrong, try to find where the solution first went off track instead of focusing only on the final answer. Ask them to walk you through their thinking and explain what they were trying to do at that step.

You can ask:

• Let's look for the first step that needs another look.

• What were you thinking here?

• What does this step tell us?

• Can we try a similar problem and use what we just noticed?

At Mathnasium, we use this approach to help students find and understand the point where their thinking changed direction, then give them a chance to apply what they've learned. 

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Mathnasium tutors help students develop steady math habits that support accurate, thoughtful work both inside and outside the classroom. 

How Mathnasium Helps Students Become Confident Math Thinkers

Mathnasium is a math-only learning center helping students of all skill levels excel in math.

We helped many students replace unhelpful math habits with strategies that support consistent learning. 

Knowing that every student develops different habits around math, we personalize each student’s learning experience through the Mathnasium Method™, our proprietary teaching approach built around each student's specific needs.

It starts with a diagnostic assessment that gives us a clear picture of your child's current skills and knowledge gaps. From those insights, we build a personalized learning plan tailored to your learner's goals.

Fun is built into how we work. Game-based activities, earned rewards, and consistent recognition of progress keep your young learner engaged, motivated, and aware of how far they have come.

Our approach brings measurable results.

• 94% of parents report an improvement in their child's math skills and understanding

• 93% of parents report their child's improved attitude toward math after attending Mathnasium

• 90% of students saw an improvement in their school grades

With over 1,100 centers across the U.S., we bring the Mathnasium Method™ close to your neighborhood.

For families in and near Buffalo Grove, IL, Mathnasium of Buffalo Grove is a trusted local center with years of experience building confident math thinkers.

Whether your child needs to improve a specific skill, build better study habits, or simply find a more effective way to approach math, our team is happy to help.

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