Can AI Help Your Child Learn Math Skills?

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AI is everywhere lately. It can craft cute poems and jokes in an instant. It will help you write an email or locate answers to your burning questions, but could it help improve your child’s confidence in school?

Math is a common struggle for students nationwide, with only 26% of 8th graders testing proficient or higher. While the pandemic is partially to blame for this staggering statistic, it’s not the only problem. Often kids view math as dull and pointless. 

Also, once a student gets behind, catching up is a challenge, meaning these kids fall further behind. It’s a vicious cycle parents long to dig their kids out of but lack the tools and means to do so. AI-powered programs may be the resource you need. 

Benefits of AI in Math Learning

When used appropriately, AI can function like a math tutor, helping your child advance their math skills. Since it’s free of human limitations like the need for sleep and can be in multiple places simultaneously, it offers unique features that flesh and blood can’t.

Confidence Building

If you’ve noticed a significant dip in your kid’s grades or mood, it may be a silent call for help. Many kids struggle to keep their heads above water in a math class they don’t understand. Working on their skills with an AI tutoring program will help them raise their knowledge and boost their confidence. 

One:One Tutoring

At school, your kid sits in a classroom of 20 other kids, which is only one of several sections the teacher has on a given day. While educators do their best to deliver quality instruction, they lack the time and capacity to individualize to each student’s unique needs. AI tutoring offers a 1:1 solution for building your kid’s math skills.  

Help Available 24/7

Since AI never needs to eat or rest, your child can use it anytime. It’s handy for your little one who wakes with the sun or the teen who puts off their homework until midnight. This technology can give homework help and math tutoring when you don’t have the time or ability to sit with them. 

Pinpoint Exact Trouble Areas

It’s challenging to know exactly where your child’s struggles lie. Their math teacher will be able to tell you if they’re behind and maybe some types of problems they tend to get wrong consistently. However, these assessments have difficulty pinpointing specific skill deficits.

Many AI tutoring programs can perform ongoing assessments of your kid’s skills and adjust lessons, videos and problems accordingly. 

It’s Fun

One of the best ways to help your child learn math skills is to find ways to make it fun. What better way to do that than with screen time? Some programs take the enjoyment further by gamifying the learning. Your kid can grow skills along with fun characters, playing games and completing challenges.   

Limitations of AI for Math Help

AI is a fun tool and grows more intelligent daily, but it’s still in its infancy. It may make mistakes along the way. As more people catch on to the possibilities of AI for math help, the offerings will increase, and developers will add more math-specific datasets to improve tutoring capabilities and accuracy.  

Not All Programs Created Equal

Your kid’s experience with AI will depend mainly on the program you select. Not all are intended to work as a tutor. For example, ChatGPT is a popular AI option right now, but it’s intended for more mundane tasks or a source of entertainment. When asked to do math, ChatGPT is in over its head and will often spit out incorrect answers.

For better results, you’d want to select an AI-assisted program designed explicitly for math and tutoring.  

Can’t Replace Live Interaction

While technology is a fun and valuable tool, it can’t replace your kid’s relationships with you and their teachers at school. You provide essential feedback and praise. An AI bot congratulating your child for mastering a concept will never be as rewarding as a high five from their favorite teacher or a smile and hug from you. 

AI Can Lie

AI has one unfortunate thing in common with people — it struggles to admit when it doesn’t know something. When your child plugs in a math problem they need help with, the program will give them an answer. Sometimes it will be correct, and others not. 

Again, this is largely dependent on the program you use. An AI bot that provides an explanation or tutoring along with the answer is more likely to be correct than a program not intended for math that provides only the solution. 

Useful Math AI Programs for Your Child

With all the information out there, how do you find a reliable program to try with your child? All these options are award winners or come from reputable developers and educators. 

  • Prodigy
  • Mathpid
  • Creta AI
  • Khanmigo
  • Photomath

Improve Math Skills With AI

Watching your child struggle is the hardest thing a parent can do. If math skills bring them down and hurt their confidence, using AI as a tutor could be helpful. However, it still has limitations, so you should use it as one resource in your arsenal rather than the end-all-be-all. Your kids will love the interactive nature and the use of tech. You can enjoy their smile as concepts begin to click.