When my son Sam started Grade 4, I thought I was ready for the homework challenges. I mean, it’s just elementary school math, right? How hard could it be? I’d been through algebra, calculus, and even statistics in my own school years. Surely, I could handle a few multiplication tables and fractions.
But here’s the thing nobody tells you: the way kids are taught math today is not the way we learned it. The methods are different, the terminology is updated, and the emphasis is on understanding why something works, not just memorizing the steps. That’s a good thing, but it also means that when Sam came to me with a problem, I sometimes found myself staring at it like it was written in another language.
The first time I realized I might be out of my depth was over something as simple as long division. Sam had a worksheet with problems like 1,764 ÷ 12, and I thought, “Easy. I’ll just show him the way I learned.” But when I started writing it out, he stopped me and said, “That’s not how we do it in class.” His teacher had taught them a method involving partial quotients, which I’d never even heard of. I tried to follow along as he explained it, but it was like trying to learn a new dance from someone who’d only seen it once themselves.
That night, after Sam went to bed, I sat at my desk and thought about how to help him without confusing him. That’s when I remembered the AI tools I’d been using for my own work — ChatGPT for writing assistance, AI calculators for quick checks, and even AI art generators for my blog. If AI could help me with complex tasks, why couldn’t it help me teach Sam math in a way that matched his school’s methods?
The next day, I decided to try it. Sam had a set of word problems involving fractions. One of them read: “Liam baked a cake and cut it into 8 equal slices. He ate 3 slices. What fraction of the cake did Liam eat?” Sam understood that it was 3/8, but the next question asked him to compare it to another fraction, and that’s where he got stuck.
I opened my laptop and typed into the AI:
The AI came back with an explanation that made me smile. It said:
It even suggested drawing two chocolate bars, one divided into 8 parts and one into 4, then shading the eaten pieces. Sam’s eyes lit up when I showed him the drawing. “Ohhh, so 2/4 is the same as 4/8!” he said. That was the moment I knew we were onto something.
From then on, AI became our silent partner at the kitchen table. Whenever Sam had a tricky problem, I’d feed it into the AI and ask for an explanation tailored to a 9‑year‑old. Sometimes I’d ask for analogies involving Minecraft or football — two of Sam’s favorite things — and the AI would deliver. For example, when we were working on multiplication, I asked it to explain 6 × 7 in a way that connected to Minecraft. It came back with:
Suddenly, multiplication wasn’t just numbers on a page — it was part of his game world.
One of the biggest benefits was how AI could break down a problem into smaller, digestible steps. If Sam was working on a multi‑step word problem, I could ask the AI to guide him through it without giving away the answer too quickly. It would say things like:
This kept Sam engaged and thinking, rather than just copying down an answer.
Another game‑changer was using AI to create custom practice problems. Instead of searching the internet for worksheets that were either too easy or too hard, I could type:
In seconds, I had a perfectly tailored set of problems. If Sam struggled with a certain type — say, adding fractions with unlike denominators — I could ask for more of those until he felt confident.
We also started using AI for timed quizzes. I’d say:
Sam loved the challenge, and I loved that the AI could instantly generate new sets so he never memorized the order.
One of my favorite moments came when Sam had to prepare for a math test on area and perimeter. He was mixing up the two concepts, so I asked the AI to create a short story problem that would help him remember the difference. It gave us this:
We even acted it out in the backyard, pacing around the “perimeter” and then measuring the “area” with our feet. That physical connection, combined with the AI’s clear explanation, made it stick.
Over time, I noticed something else: Sam’s confidence grew. Before, if he didn’t understand something right away, he’d get frustrated and shut down. Now, he knew we could ask the AI to explain it in a different way — and another way after that, if needed. There was no embarrassment, no fear of “bothering” a tutor or teacher. The AI was endlessly patient, and that made him more willing to keep trying.
It also helped me as a parent. I didn’t have to pretend I knew every method or remember every formula from decades ago. I could learn alongside him, sometimes even admitting, “I didn’t know that either!” That honesty made our study sessions feel more like teamwork than instruction.
Of course, I didn’t just hand him the laptop and walk away. I stayed involved, guiding the conversation, making sure he understood the answers, and encouraging him to explain concepts back to me. That last part was key — teaching me what he’d just learned reinforced it in his own mind.
We also used AI to connect math to real life. If we were baking cookies, I’d ask it to create fraction problems based on the recipe. If we were planning a road trip, I’d have it generate word problems about distance, speed, and time. Sam started to see math not as an isolated school subject, but as a tool he could use anywhere.
One weekend, we even turned it into a game. I asked the AI to create a “Math Treasure Hunt” around the house. Each clue was a math problem, and the answer led to the next location. Sam raced from the kitchen to the living room to the backyard, solving problems to find the “treasure” (a small bag of chocolate coins). He had so much fun, he didn’t even realize he was doing a full hour of math practice.
Looking back, the biggest change AI brought wasn’t just better grades — it was a better attitude toward learning. Sam stopped dreading math homework. He started asking questions out of curiosity, not just necessity. And I stopped feeling like I had to be the all‑knowing parent. Instead, I became a learning partner, with AI as our shared resource.
I know some people worry that AI will make kids lazy or dependent, but in our case, it’s been the opposite. It’s given Sam the tools to explore, to ask better questions, and to understand concepts more deeply. It’s also taught him that it’s okay not to know something — what matters is knowing how to find out.
Now, when he sits down with a new math topic, he doesn’t groan. He says, “Let’s ask our helper.” And together, we dive in — one problem, one explanation, one “aha!” moment at a time.
If you’d told me a year ago that AI would replace the need for a math tutor in our house, I might have laughed. But here we are, and I wouldn’t trade this setup for anything. It’s flexible, it’s personalized, and it’s brought us closer as father and son.
And maybe the best part? I’ve learned a few new math tricks myself. Turns out, Grade 4 math can still teach you something — especially when you’ve got the right partner at the table.