More grandparents than ever are involved in their grandchildren's education — whether through full-time caregiving, after-school supervision, or weekend visits. If you're a grandparent trying to help with math, you've probably noticed: the math hasn't changed, but the way it's taught has. The algorithms are different, the vocabulary is unfamiliar, and the textbooks look nothing like what you remember. Don't worry — you don't need to relearn math to help your grandchild succeed. You just need the right tools.
The Good News: Technology Does the Teaching
You don't need to understand Common Core standards or "new math" methods. Modern math tools handle the instruction and practice automatically. Your role is simpler but just as important: provide the encouragement, set up the routine, and make sure practice happens.
Infinilearn — The Set-It-Up-Once Tool
Infinilearn is a math game where your grandchild battles monsters by solving math problems. It adjusts to their level automatically and covers everything they need for grades 6-8. You don't need to understand the math — the game teaches it. Your job is just to make sure they play for 15 minutes.
The parent dashboard shows their progress in simple terms you can share with the parents: "She solved 45 math problems this week and her accuracy on fractions went up to 78%." That's powerful information, and getting it takes about 2 minutes of checking the dashboard.
Price: Free. No credit card needed.
Khan Academy — When They Need Explanation
When your grandchild says "I don't understand this," don't try to teach it yourself (the method you learned in 1975 might confuse them more). Instead, search Khan Academy for the topic. The video will explain it the way their teacher does. You watch together and learn alongside them.
Games You Can Play Together
The best math moments with grandchildren aren't digital — they're the card games, puzzles, and activities you do together.
- Card games: Fraction War (two cards make a fraction, highest wins), Multiplication Speed (flip cards, first to call the product wins), Target 24 (use four cards to make 24). A $1 deck of cards provides hours of math practice disguised as game time.
- Cooking together: "This recipe serves 4 and we need to serve 6. How do we adjust?" Every measurement is a fraction problem.
- Shopping math: "Which is the better deal — the 12-pack for $4.99 or the 8-pack for $3.49?" Real-world math that matters.
- Family history math: "Grandpa was born in 1958. How many years ago was that? If Great-Grandma was 24 when Grandpa was born, what year was she born?" Timeline math using family stories.
What Not to Do
- Don't teach "your way." "Just cross-multiply" or "just borrow from the tens place" — if your method differs from what the teacher taught, it creates confusion, not clarity. Use Khan Academy for the current method.
- Don't say "this is easy." What was easy for you in 1970 isn't easy for a 12-year-old in 2026. "This is a tricky one — let's figure it out together" is more supportive.
- Don't compare to "back in my day." "We didn't have calculators and we did fine" invalidates the child's experience. Every generation faces different challenges.
Setting Up for Success
- Help your grandchild create an Infinilearn account (takes 2 minutes, no email needed)
- Set up the parent dashboard so you (and the parents) can see progress
- Bookmark Khan Academy for when they need help with a concept
- Keep a deck of cards handy for game time
The Bottom Line
You don't need to be a math teacher to help your grandchild with math. You need to provide encouragement, set up the right tools, and spend time together. Infinilearn handles the adaptive practice. Khan Academy handles the instruction. And the card games, cooking projects, and shopping trips you do together build math skills through the relationship that only a grandparent can provide.