Maths Problem-Solving Strategies for Primary Students

Knowing how to add, subtract, multiply or divide is important, but primary students also need to know when and how to use these skills. A word problem can look simple and still confuse a child if they do not know where to start.

I decided to write this after seeing how often students can complete a calculation correctly but struggle when the same maths skill appears inside a word problem. I checked the Australian Curriculum and Australian Education Research Organisation guidance to understand which problem-solving skills students need to develop.

This guide is for parents and primary school students who want practical ways to approach maths problems with more structure and confidence.

Why Is Maths Problem-Solving Important?

The Australian Curriculum includes problem-solving and reasoning as important parts of mathematics learning. Students are expected to use mathematical knowledge to understand situations, choose suitable approaches, explain their thinking and check whether their answers make sense.

This means solving maths problems is more than getting the final number.

A student should be able to answer questions such as:

• What information do I have?
• What am I trying to find?
• Which operation or method should I use?
• Does my answer make sense?

These skills become useful across number, measurement, space, statistics and probability.

Read the Question Carefully

The first step is understanding what the problem is asking.

Ask your child to read the question once to understand the situation. Then read it again and identify the important information.

For example:

“Emma has 24 stickers. She gives 7 stickers to her friend. How many stickers does she have left?”

The important information is:

• Starting amount: 24 stickers
• Amount given away: 7 stickers
• What needs to be found: stickers remaining

This makes the problem easier to understand before any calculation starts.

Underline Key Information

Children often try to use every number they see. That can lead to the wrong operation.

Teach your child to identify:

• Numbers and quantities
• Units such as dollars, kilograms or minutes
• Important actions
• What the question is asking

However, be careful with teaching children to rely only on keywords. Words such as “more” or “left” do not always tell you which operation to use. Your child should understand the situation first.

Draw or Model the Problem

A picture can make a difficult problem easier to understand.

If the question involves 36 apples shared equally between 6 children, your child could draw six groups and distribute the apples.

For measurement problems, they could draw a simple diagram.

For money problems, they could write the amounts in a table.

For multi-step questions, they could make a simple flow of what happens first, second and third.

The Australian Curriculum encourages students to represent and interpret mathematical situations, rather than relying only on written calculations.

Choose the Right Operation

Once your child understands the problem, ask what needs to happen mathematically.

Common examples include:

• Addition when quantities are combined
• Subtraction when quantities are compared or removed
• Multiplication when equal groups or repeated quantities are involved
• Division when quantities are shared or grouped

For example, if 5 packs contain 8 pencils each, your child could think of this as 5 groups of 8 and use multiplication.

The goal is to understand why the operation works, not simply remember a keyword.

Break Multi-Step Problems Into Smaller Steps

Some problems require more than one calculation.

For example:

A class has 28 students. Each student needs 2 pencils. The teacher already has 15 pencils. How many more pencils are needed?

Step 1: Find the total pencils needed.

28 × 2 = 56

Step 2: Subtract the pencils already available.

56 − 15 = 41

The answer is 41 pencils.

Encourage your child to write each step instead of trying to complete everything mentally. This also makes it easier to find where a mistake happened.

Estimate Before Calculating

Estimation gives children a quick way to judge whether an answer is reasonable.

Suppose the problem is:

48 × 6

A child can estimate 50 × 6 = 300.

The exact answer is 288, which is close to the estimate.

If a calculator or written calculation produced 2,880, the estimate would immediately suggest that something went wrong.

This is a simple habit that can help children catch calculation errors.

Try More Than One Strategy

There is often more than one way to solve a maths problem.

For example, to calculate 25 × 4, a student might use:

25 + 25 + 25 + 25

or

100 ÷ 1

or recognise that four groups of 25 make 100.

The Australian Curriculum focuses on students developing mathematical understanding and applying it to different situations.

Allowing children to explain different methods can help you see whether they understand the maths or are simply following a memorised procedure.

Ask Your Child to Explain Their Thinking

Instead of immediately asking, “What is the answer?”, try questions such as:

• How did you start?
• What information did you use?
• Why did you choose addition?
• Can you show me another way?
• Does your answer make sense?

AERO highlights opportunities for students to practise and apply reasoning as part of developing maths proficiency.

This type of questioning also helps you identify exactly where your child is getting stuck.

Check the Answer

Solving the calculation is not the final step.

Ask your child to check:

• Did I answer the actual question?
• Did I use the correct operation?
• Is my answer reasonable?
• Did I include the correct unit?
• Did I make a calculation mistake?

For example, if the question asks for the total cost of three $4 notebooks, an answer of $12 makes sense. An answer of 12 notebooks does not because the unit is wrong.

Practise With Real-Life Problems

You do not need a worksheet every time your child needs maths practice.

Use everyday situations such as:

• Working out the total cost of items at the shops
• Comparing prices
• Measuring ingredients while cooking
• Calculating how much time is left before an activity
• Working out change from a purchase
• Comparing distances
• Reading timetables

AERO recommends using relevant, real-life examples as part of developing maths proficiency.

These activities help children see how mathematical thinking applies outside a textbook.

What Parents Should Avoid

Try not to solve every difficult question for your child.

If your child is stuck, give one small hint and let them continue.

Avoid saying:

“Just use subtraction.”

Instead, ask:

“What is happening to the amount in this problem?”

This gives your child a chance to identify the operation themselves.

Also avoid making speed the main goal. A child who takes longer but can explain their reasoning may have a stronger understanding than a child who gives a quick answer without knowing why it works.

A Simple 5-Step Problem-Solving Routine

You can teach your child this routine:

1. Understand the problem.
2. Identify the important information.
3. Choose a strategy.
4. Solve step by step.
5. Check the answer.

With regular practice, these five steps can become a useful habit for different types of maths questions.

FAQs

The Australian Education Research Organisation recommends early intervention, carefully sequenced learning and opportunities for students to practise and apply reasoning.

The goal is not to make every maths question easier. It is to help your child understand how to approach a problem, choose a suitable strategy and explain why their answer works.

With the right support and regular practice, problem-solving can become a skill your child uses across different areas of mathematics, not something they only practise before a test.