Challah, my son is 6, in Grade 2, and his arithmetic is pretty much ok. I found that his addition came easily, and then he was battling with subtraction - so I got him to write out the numbers, one above the other, and then work the subtraction(s) one column at a time.
At first, I made sure that the larger number was larger in both digits (i.e. 25 minus 14, rather than 25 minus 19), and when he was comfortable with that, I showed him how to 'borrow' from the next largest column.
It took literally a day.
When he grasped it, it was like a light was shining through his eyes - and I had to take his paper and pencil away so he could have supper!

The next day the other kids in his class battled for hours on their subtraction, and he finished it all in 30 minutes - they all wanted the teacher to show them HIS way...

Just start simple - 9 minus 5, for instance, and slowly work it up into the teens and beyond - once he's grasped the fundamentals and learns to stick to the columns, he's 90% of the way there. And when he learns to 'borrow' he's mastered the art.

Clever kids need to actually SEE the problem and UNDERSTAND it, and then they can solve it. They don't take kindly to learning the way schools teach nowadays - where they're given a method and told to apply it, no questions asked. They really don't like that, and will subconciously resist it until they can actually understand WHY things are done a certain way. It really comes down to having a good teacher - and there aren't many of those left any more, so YOU have to do the job...


Remember this: the most powerful computers in the world can ONLY add. They cannot divide or multiply, and they manage subtraction by adding the 'negative' value of the number. Multiplication is nothing but repetitive adding, and division simply repetitive subtraction. So once your child can add, the rest is right there within his grasp - you just need to find a way for him to see it and feel happy using it...

I think that before you teach your son this way of subtracting, have a meeting with the teacher and find out if this is acceptable to her. I have found that the teachers have a certain way of teaching each maths skill as they all link into one another.
In other words the methods for teaching addition, subtraction, division and multiplication will all follow on from each other.
The methods of teaching maths are radically different than when I was at school and borrowing from the next column is no longer taught.
Hope you get some help the teachers have always been helpful when I have asked. xxxx

shazdart, are you COMPLETELY insane?

The (OBE) education system is turning out (matriculating) illiterates who cannot read or write properly, and who cannot add or subtract - and your advice is that "the schools don't teach borrowing from the next column, so don't teach your kids that"?
If you actually UNDERSTAND simple arithmetic (which I doubt), then please explain HOW you would subtract one large number from another without, somewhere, somehow, 'borrowing' from the next column.

Incidentally, addition, subtraction, division and multiplication are NOT 'maths skills', but simply 'arithmetic'.

C'mon, SHOW us how YOU would do subtraction of large number! I challenge you!

Our eldest son also started battling with arithmetic around grade 4 or 5, someone suggested we placed him in the Kumon math program – to cut a long story short all of our children are in the program and have been for a few years now, our eldest is in grade 11 now and I can honestly say I do not think he would be passing his school level math with distinctions if it wasn’t for Kumon Math. They did diagnostic tests and identified missing “blocks” for lack of a better word and started back at the basics. Today he does quadratic equations and trig without a calculator!!! Other children ask him for assistance as they find it difficult to grasp / understand their math teachers…

Don’t let me kid you – it is not an easy program to follow through to the end, bottom line the children need to do a book a day of math (5 to 10 pages) every day, school holidays included!!! The majority of parent’s place their children on the program for a year or two, or until the area the child was struggling with has been mastered – I have been too afraid to let them stop because I know how important math is and today without math so many occupational opportunities are unavailable and I personally do not have faith in the level of math teachers in general. I recall struggling through HG matric math way back when and yet when I went on to tertiary education I had a brilliant professor – and “ting” the lights went on – he was able to communicate in a manner that made sense, not “just because this is how it’s done.” The formulae and their applications finally made sense.

I recall a math professor speaking at the school a few years back saying repetition was the key. With our children this seems to have worked, though I know it doesn’t for all.

All I can say is good luck and don’t give up, be glad you have seen your son is struggling early on and can help fill in the gaps before it is too late.