Why Math Homework Takes 2 Hours (And What to Do About It)
It’s not just frustrating for your child—it affects your whole evening. Dinner gets delayed. Bedtime gets pushed back. You’re exhausted from trying to help with concepts you barely remember yourself. And your child? They feel hopeless. They start to believe they’re “just bad at math,” and that belief becomes harder to shake with every homework battle.
Here’s the thing: when homework drags on like this, it’s usually not because your child is slow or incapable. There’s almost always a specific reason—and once you identify it, you can do something about it.
Below are the 5 most common reasons math homework takes forever, and what you can do to fix each one.
Reason 1: The Assignment Is Too Hard for Your Child's Grade Level
What’s happening: Some teachers assign work that’s genuinely beyond what’s developmentally appropriate for the grade level. I’m currently working with a 7th grader who’s being asked to do Algebra 1 and 2 concepts—and he’s not in an advanced math class. When the work is too hard, your child isn’t learning. They’re just spinning their wheels.
What to do: Express your concern to the teacher. You’re not being “that parent”—you’re advocating for appropriate instruction.
Email template you can use:
“Hi [Teacher’s name],
I wanted to touch base about [child’s name]’s recent math homework. I’ve noticed they’re spending 1.5-2 hours per night on assignments, and even with my help, they’re struggling to complete the work independently.
I’m concerned the material may be above grade level for where [he/she] is right now. Could we schedule a time to talk about what’s expected and how we can best support [him/her] at home?
Thank you,
[Your name]”
As a classroom teacher myself, I have sometimes changed homework assignments when parents have expressed this type of concern. I may have haphazardly given the homework assignment without much thought or not realized it was causing so much difficulty at home. You can even ask the teacher for the purpose of the assignment and if it can still be accomplished by having the student complete half of the assigned problems, for example.
You don’t want to add more work to the teacher’s plate by asking for an entirely different assignment, but you do want to move toward understanding one another while attempting to find the best resolution for the student. You may uncover other issues that the teacher has noticed- that there is, indeed, a knowledge gap making the assignment more challenging, or maybe there is an issue with the student being able to focus and complete assignments. No matter the issue, it’s best to discuss it with the teacher whenever possible.
If you’re unsure whether the assignment is actually too hard or if your child just needs more support, that’s where a second opinion helps. I often confirm for parents that yes, the work is out of line with what’s typical for that grade.
Reason 2: Your Child Doesn't Know Their Basic Math Facts
What’s happening: If your child is still counting on their fingers to solve 7 + 8, or taking 30 seconds to figure out 6 × 4, every single problem becomes a chore. They’re not slow—they just haven’t built fluency with addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts…yet!
What to do: Practice basic facts daily until they become automatic. This doesn’t mean drilling for an hour. It means 5-10 minutes of focused practice every single day.
How to practice:
- Flashcards (old school, but effective)
- Online games, like those available in IXL
- Timed challenges: “How many can you solve in 2 minutes?”
- Oral practice while driving or doing chores
The goal is speed and accuracy. When your child knows 9 × 7 = 63 instantly, they can focus their mental energy on the actual problem-solving instead of basic computation.
Reason 3: Your Child Is Overwhelmed Before They Even Start
What’s happening: When your child sees 20 problems on a worksheet, their brain shuts down. It feels impossible, so they avoid it. They sharpen pencils. They get water. They stare at the ceiling. Anything but start.
What to do: Break the assignment into smaller chunks.
Here’s how:
- Cover everything except the first 5 problems with a blank sheet of paper
- Set a timer for 10 minutes
- Work on just those 5 problems
- When the timer goes off, take a 2-minute break (stretch, grab a snack, walk around)
- Repeat for the next 5 problems
Small chunks feel manageable. Completing one section gives them a win and builds momentum for the next. Suddenly, homework doesn’t feel like climbing a mountain—it’s just taking the next step.
Reason 4: There's No Consistent Homework Routine
What’s happening: If homework happens at different times, in different places, with distractions all around, your child’s brain has to work harder just to settle in and focus. Inconsistency creates resistance.
What to do: Create a predictable homework routine.
The essentials:
- Same time every day: Right after school, after dinner, whatever works—just keep it consistent
- Same place: A specific spot with good lighting and minimal distractions
- Phone/tablet away: Out of sight, out of mind (this is a BIG ONE, even for us adults!)
- Supplies ready: Pencils, erasers, scratch paper, calculator—everything within reach so they’re not getting up every 3 minutes
Predictability reduces decision fatigue and resistance. When your child knows “4:00 PM = homework time at the kitchen table,” their brain doesn’t have to negotiate. It just gets to work.
Reason 5: Your Child Has Gaps in Foundational Skills
What’s happening: Sometimes the problem isn’t the current assignment—it’s that your child missed something foundational two or three grades ago, and now everything built on top of that concept feels impossible.
For example: if they never fully understood division in 4th grade; now they’re doing fraction and decimal operations in 6th grade and every problem is a struggle. They’re not “bad at math”—they’re just missing a piece of the foundation.
What to do: Identify the gap and fill it. This often requires going back a grade level or two to rebuild understanding.
How to spot a gap:
- Your child consistently struggles with the same type of problem
- They say “I don’t get it” even after multiple explanations
- They can’t explain why they’re doing a certain step—they’re just following a procedure
What happens next: This is where many parents reach out to me. When the issue is deeper than just “homework takes too long,” and it’s clear there’s a foundational gap, one-on-one tutoring can pinpoint exactly where the breakdown is happening and rebuild from there.
I work with 2nd-8th graders who are struggling in math, and I use strategies like the ones in this post in every session—breaking things into chunks, pre-teaching vocabulary, using visual aids, and filling in those foundational gaps so math finally makes sense.
If you’re tired of the nightly homework battles and want someone in your corner who can figure out what’s actually going on, let’s talk.
Math homework doesn’t have to take 2 hours. Once you figure out why it’s dragging on, you can start doing something about it.
Pick one strategy from this list and try it this week. See what happens. You might be surprised how much changes when you address the root cause instead of just pushing through.
And if you need help figuring out what that root cause is—or if you’ve tried everything and your child is still struggling—I’m here.
