More Than Just Extra Lessons: Why Mentoring Is the Best Support for Your Teen’s Maths Journey If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve watched your teenager wrestle with Maths homework late at night, frustrated and tired, while you’re quietly worrying: Is my child really coping? Between school, sports, cultural activities, and family commitments, the calendar is full — but the Maths practice that builds real skill is often the first thing to be neglected.
It’s a stressful position for any parent. You know cramming before exams won’t cut it, but you also know you can’t always provide the structured support your teen needs. So, what’s the solution?
Enter Maths Mentor, a South African company dedicated to helping learners from Grade 4 to Grade 12 reach their full potential in Mathematics. With a team of highly capable university student mentors, innovative mentoring packages, and a fully digital platform, Maths Mentor provides the guidance, structure, and encouragement students need — all from the comfort of home.
Our goal is simple: help students not just understand Maths, but enjoy it, gain confidence, and develop the habits that lead to lasting success.
More and more families are finding the answer in mentoring. Unlike traditional tutoring, which can sometimes feel like an extension of the classroom, mentoring is about guidance, accountability, and confidence. It’s a relationship built on consistency and encouragement, where your child doesn’t just learn Maths — they learn how to approach Maths.
Why Mentoring Works Where Cramming Fails
Cramming has become a habit for many students: burying themselves in notes the night before an assessment and hoping for the best. While it may help them recall a few formulas in the short term, it doesn’t create lasting understanding.
Mentoring, on the other hand, focuses on steady, structured learning. By practising consistently in smaller, manageable chunks, your child builds long-term comprehension. And because mentors provide guidance along the way, gaps are filled before they become roadblocks.
Here’s what makes mentoring so powerful:
- Consistency – Weekly sessions ensure that Maths practice becomes a routine, not a scramble.
- Personalised support – Mentors identify where your child struggles most and tailor sessions to those needs.
- Accountability – With a mentor expecting progress each week, your child is less likely to push work aside.
- Confidence building – Mentors don’t just teach content; they encourage resilience, problem-solving, and a “can-do” mindset.
Private Mentoring Packages (Grades 4–12)
Our Private Mentoring Packages offer one-on-one online sessions tailored to your child’s unique needs. Each session is scheduled week by week around your child’s calendar, allowing flexibility for sports, cultural activities, and other commitments.
This personalised, digital approach ensures your teen receives focused guidance in areas they find challenging, while also building strong study habits and steady, long-term progress. Mentors also provide ongoing support via WhatsApp chat, so your child can ask questions and get guidance between sessions.
Private mentoring is ideal for students who need a completely tailored experience — whether that’s mastering foundational concepts in primary school or tackling advanced topics in Grades 10–12.
Cohort Mentoring Packages (Grade 12 only)
Cohort mentoring brings together small groups of 4–8 students for collaborative, online learning.
- Shared scheduling – Students vote to select a commonly agreed weekly timeslot that works for everyone.
- Catch-up support – If a session is missed, students can watch the recording before the next session.
- Focused themes – Core areas covered include:
- Algebra and Sequences/Series
- Functions and Differential Calculus
- Financial Maths and Probability
- Analytical Geometry and Statistics
- Trigonometry
- Euclidean Geometry
All sessions cover both Grade 11 and Grade 12 content, ensuring students are fully prepared for the Matric final exams.
Cohorts typically run for 4–8 weeks and are scheduled on average every 2 months, providing bursts of high-impact, targeted learning. Working in a small group encourages peer support and shared problem-solving, which can be highly motivating for matric students navigating a busy final year.
Who Are Our Mentors?
All of our mentors are university students pursuing challenging degrees in Medicine, Engineering, Commerce, and other disciplines that rely heavily on strong mathematical skills.
They provide support entirely online, through video sessions and WhatsApp chat, combining academic expertise with accessibility and approachability. This combination allows mentors to connect with students in a way that motivates, inspires, and keeps learning going even outside the scheduled session.
Mentors are carefully selected not only for their subject knowledge but also for their ability to guide, encourage, and build confidence. This approach ensures your child feels supported, understood, and motivated every step of the way.
More Than Extra Lessons — A True Partnership
Mentoring is not about last-minute fixes or overwhelming students with extra work. It’s about steady, structured growth — building skills, confidence, and resilience week by week. With the right mentor, your teen doesn’t just survive Maths — they master it.
Ready to See the Difference Mentoring Can Make?
If you’re looking for the kind of support that goes beyond “just extra lessons,” now is the perfect time to take the next step.
Complete our quick Find a Mentor Form and use the code ParentHub20 to get 20% off our Private and Cohort Mentoring Packages. (Ts & Cs apply.)
Give your child the guidance, accountability, and confidence they need to thrive in Maths — all from the comfort of home, entirely online, with support whenever they need it.
Cameron Pitman
Director, Maths Mentor (Pty) Ltd
BScEng – Mechanical Engineering | MCom – Leadership Studies | PhD – Leadership Studies (in progress)
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Why Developing Reading Skills May Help Your Child’s Fear of Maths Word ProblemsCan you solve this word problem?
A pen and a pencil cost one Rand and twenty cents in total. The pen costs one Rand more than the pencil. How much does the pencil cost?
The answer is 10 cents. Did you get it right?
If you broke out in a cold sweat at the mere suggestion of having to solve this, you’re not alone. There is little that kids dread more than word problems. Even the strongest maths students can struggle when it comes to solving these puzzles. But did you know that having difficulty solving word problems often indicates gaps in reading ability, rather than a deficiency in maths?
When solving a word problem, we must:
- Read the question
- Figure out what the question is asking
- Then perform whatever mathematical operation is necessary to solve it
That’s a lot to worry about, and the actual maths part doesn’t come until the very end.
Let’s return to the word problem we started with. Did you answer 20 cents? That’s no surprise! When reading the question quickly, we conclude that all we must do is add 1 Rand to 20 cents. Yet, the question specifies that the pen costs a full Rand more than the pencil. If the pencil costs 20 cents and the pen costs 1 Rand, the difference between the two is only 80 cents. Thus, the correct answer is 10 cents. If the pencil costs 10 cents, and the pen costs 1 Rand more (R1.10,) the total cost is R1.20.
R0.10 + R1.10 = R1.20
The arithmetic in the word problem isn’t particularly difficult. Understanding the question is. Without strong reading skills, we would be unable to solve this – or any – word problem.
Beyond Word Problems
Word problems aren’t the only area of maths where reading ability helps. Researchers are increasingly finding a connection between reading and maths skills across the board. To understand this, consider the following factors.
Maths vocabulary is very specialised. Take the word division, for example. In everyday speech division has many different definitions, but in maths it is simply “the opposite operation of multiplication.” However, if a student only understands division to mean “something that separates,” it could cause confusion in maths class.
School instruction requires that students understand written directions and explanations. Literacy skills are important for understanding everything from what the teacher writes on the board, to what the instructions mean on a worksheet. Students may struggle in maths class simply because they have difficulty reading directions.
The very processes that help students become strong readers are just as important in maths. Studies have shown that phonological processing, for example, is a key factor in maths success.
Students who regularly read for pleasure had almost a 10% advantage in their maths skills. This was shown in a study conducted by the Institute of Education at London University2. The study’s author argues that “strong reading ability will enable children to absorb and understand new information.” This ability can help in any subject, including maths.
Clearly, the connection between reading comprehension and maths skills is significant. Developing reading ability will benefit your child far beyond English class. With a solid foundation in reading ability your child will be on the path to success in maths and beyond.
The Kumon English Programme can help your child to develop a love of reading and enhanced comprehension. Find out more about the Kumon English Programme by visiting www.kumon.co.za/english.
This article is courtesy of the Kumon North America website1
1 https://www.kumon.com/resources/fear-of-word-problems/
2 https://www.bbc.com/news/education-24046971
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Three Tips for Easing Test AnxietyIt’s normal for your child to get nervous before a test or quiz at school. The intensity of their anxiety though is dependent on how confident and calm they feel. It’s important for your child to properly prepare, practice healthy habits, and be optimistic about the results.
Follow these tips to help ease test anxiety for your child:
1. Develop Efficient Study Habits.
Preparing for a test is a very important step in reducing test anxiety. It’s key to remember that every child is different. While some can capture everything after the first review, others may need to highlight key topics or write down notes on flashcards or do something unique that works for them. Some students may even need to create mnemonics (memory devices that help learners recall larger pieces of information, especially in the form of lists like characteristics, steps, stages, parts, etc – for example, to remember the spelling of “because” – Baby Eats Candy And Usually Says E).
Test and try different study habits and see which is the best fit for your child. Avoid pushing them to study a different way, or your way. What works for you may not work for them.
Additionally, sit with your child and determine a study plan together. Designate a time and place to study daily. Begin strategizing on how the studying will be broken down. Help your child prioritize and delegate their time between different chapters or sections.
2. Provide Proper Resources.
Often students feel too embarrassed to ask for help on something that was taught weeks ago. They become unsure about the topic while studying and end up puzzled during exam time.
To avoid this, have your child create a list of topics or sections that they are struggling with. Then, take some time to review the list. Identify if your child simply needs a refresher on these topics or if they need further help. If it is a matter of needing a refresher, encourage them to review work they have done previously, remind themselves how they solved certain problems or completed those sections of work, make summaries and / or mind maps to make the information more manageable and easier to remember.
If it is a matter of needing further help the first port of call would be to address it with their teacher. Depending on your child’s age, you can reach out to their teacher or you can encourage them to seek help from their teacher. Making the teacher aware of what your child is struggling with may lead them to find different ways of explaining difficult topics in class. You can also go online to find resources / video clips that can explain the work better or seek out extra-mural programmes (such as Kumon) that can supplement their learning and increase their confidence and knowledge retention.
3. Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle.
The week of the test can be a very exhausting week. Be sure that your child is not only balancing homework and afterschool activities, but also eating and resting adequately.
It’s important to plan. If your child needs more time to study during test week then be sure to make alternative arrangements with extracurricular activities. However, if your child is on track with their studying, be sure to keep these activities. Going to a sport practice or ballet class is a good reward after spending hours of preparing for the test. Taking a break to do some physical activity is excellent to clear and refresh the mind, release tension and anxiety and give renewed energy to focus on studying again.
Another good way to reinforce and motivate your child is by providing them with positive affirmations. Have them repeat after you. It can be a simple “I got this!” or something more inspiring like “Hard work will pay off!” Engraving these positive thoughts will make your child feel optimistic and rewarded for their hard work. You can also schedule a fun evening or weekend activity after the test to reward your child for their hard work and preparation.
In Closing
Test anxiety is very challenging to manage and adds extra stress. With proper preparation and study habits your child will succeed. It’s crucial to see what tactics and strategies work best with your child. Ultimately, the most efficient approach of studying will be what determines their test grade. Be a supportive parent by putting into practice these steps to help ease your child’s test anxiety.
Should you be interested in learning more about Kumon and how it can support your child, visit www.kumon.co.za
This article is courtesy of the Kumon North America website*
* https://www.kumon.com/resources/three-tips-for-easing-test-anxiety/
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