Math Tips, Tricks, and Games

How to Find Sixth Grade Math Worksheets that will Help Your Child Get Ahead

Pavithra Lakshminarayan January 5, 2018

Last Updated on August 31, 2021 by Thinkster

Sixth grade is an important year when it comes to learning math fundamentals.

It’s when your child will be learning about negative numbers, algebraic expressions, one-step equations, ratios, inequalities and so much more.

If your student falls behind (or even if they just want to stay ahead), they’re going to need constant math help. And there’s no better way to get in quality practice than with worksheets filled with quality math problems they can solve.

If your child is only doing minimal math homework and bypassing these important skill- and confidence-boosting worksheets, he or she is already a step behind.

Why Your Child Needs Math Worksheets in the First Place

Think your child’s math homework is enough to get them to the top of their class?

Think again.

Additional math worksheets are crucial for your child’s success because they:

Reinforce Math Concepts Taught in School

Extra math problems that coincide with the sixth grade math core curriculum help reinforce what your child is learning in school. While they may not have gone over these concepts in depth during class, additional math worksheets will help them master new ideas and set a solid foundation that they can build on later.

Help Your Child Practice Tough Concepts with More Focus

With all the distractions students face in school, they may not be paying close attention during math class. They may also fear asking for clarification in front of their peers if they don’t understand a certain math problem.

If your child doesn’t understand one concept in sixth grade math, they may start to lag behind when new concepts are built on that existing (and shaky) foundation.

Additional math worksheets will show you and your child where they’re not connecting and give them the opportunity to get more practice, thus increasing mastery.

Give Your Child Confidence

The more your child practices math, the better they’re going to be at solving new math problems. And, as your child begins to ace their math worksheets in and out of the classroom, their confidence will start to soar.

A confident student attacks problems head on with focus and the feeling that they’re going to solve the problem on their own.

When a student lacks confidence in math, it’s hard for them to give their all when they feel as if they’ll never get the answer right anyway.

Keep racking up math wins for your child and they’ll be eager and excited to take on more difficult challenges.

Help You Track their Continued Math Progress

Your child’s school may not send weekly or daily progress reports so you can monitor how your mathlete’s doing in class.

But the more your child practices using additional math worksheets, the greater understanding you’ll have of their strengths and weaknesses. All their work will be there for you to see and review.

Looking at their answers, you’ll be able to see if your child is making fundamental errors (like applying concepts incorrectly) or simply working too fast and making silly mistakes (like jotting down a 1 for a 7).

So now that you know why your child needs math worksheets in their life, you’re probably wondering where you’ll be able to find them. Fortunately, we can help with that.

But first, you’ll want to make sure how to know you’ve found quality math worksheets for your child.

What to Look for in Free Math Worksheets Online

Should you ask your child’s math teacher for extra homework to take home and complete over the weekend?

You certainly could, but there’s no guarantee your child’s busy teacher will have the resources you really need.

That’s why many parents look online for free math worksheets. If you’ve tried looking for math worksheets online before, you know there are over 3 million results spanning countless pages.

Do you have time to sift through all of those?

We didn’t think so.

Use these 5 quick tips to find sixth grade math worksheets online and you’ll spot the fakes from the real deals:

1. Math Problems from Trustworthy and Competent Sources

Don’t trust the first site to offer free math word problems or worksheets that you come across. As with most sites, certain pages only exist for the ad revenue. You can’t guarantee that these worksheets contain solvable problems or teach your child correctly.

Look for math worksheets from credible sources in academia, such as those from former math teachers or current math tutors.

2. An Answer Key (duh!)

You may not think to look for an answer key, but this crucial step will save you a ton of time if the worksheet you give your child doesn’t have one. You’ll have to solve every problem just to see if your child nailed them.

Now let’s say your math worksheet did come with an answer key, but you didn’t check the source.

You’ll have to verify that the answer key included with your math worksheet is actually correct. Several low-quality math worksheets either don’t include an answer key or include one with incorrect answers.

Not much help for you or your child.

3. Multiple Ways to Approach a Concept — Not Just Repetitive Questions

Traditional teaching makes students vulnerable to just following steps — they figure out “rules” to “answer” questions.

For example, if the math worksheets you find online simply repeat the same question only using different numbers, your child won’t be thinking, but memorizing.

Quality math worksheets will encourage your child develop the thinking process behind solving each problem. You want your child to understand why they’re working through problems the way they are, not just parroting what they did right in the previous answer. This is what develops the critical thinking and reasoning skills to take your child’s math to the next level.

4. Rewards and Immediate Feedback

Positive reinforcement is the best way to keep your child motivated and excited for math.

Ideally, you should check your child’s math worksheets as soon as they are completed, giving them praise for correct answers and walking them through the right solution for those that were incorrect.

The sooner you correct the mistakes your child may be making, the faster they’ll be able to adjust their behavior in order to avoid reinforcing bad habits.

Thinkster Checks All these Boxes — and More!

Thinkster is a math tutor app that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to visualize how students are thinking as they work through math problems.

We Create Tailor-Made Math Worksheets Based on Your Child’s Unique Strengths and Weaknesses

We’ll give your child a skill assessment to see exactly where their math skills register for their grade. We’ll also find out your child’s unique strengths and weaknesses when it comes to math.

Your child’s dedicated tutor will then personalize the learning program to your child’s needs. You can check out more about our sixth grade math curriculum here.

So, whether your child needs homework help or test prep, you can rest assured they’re always getting the right tutoring for their needs.

We Let You View Your Child’s Math Progress in Real Time

By solving hundreds of problems in each topic via our customized math worksheets, your child will achieve fluency in math concepts, developing skills that reach beyond the classroom.

And, as your child develops his or her math skills, Thinkster will provide real-time insights about their evolving strengths and weaknesses. This enables you to track their progress over time.

You’ll be able to view the worksheets your child completed and see where they struggled or excelled, track your child’s growth on the topics they’ve learned, view test scores and see their answer accuracy.

Our technology even records and tracks how your child arrives at their answer, giving you another look at how your child is doing with their math skills.