BC teaches several ways to solve each problem before the standard method. Here's what your child's homework looks like in each grade, why it's taught that way, and how to help without confusing them.
What you'll see: A box with 2 rows of 5 squares, partly filled with dots or counters.
Why this way: Seeing 5 and 10 as chunks is the base for adding and subtracting later.
How to help: Draw a ten frame on paper and fill it with buttons or snacks. Ask: how many? How many more to make 10?
What you'll see: 8 + 5 with the 5 split into 2 and 3, sometimes drawn as a branch under the number.
Why this way: Adding to 10 first is faster and builds mental math. It's the same idea adults use for 98 + 7.
How to help: Ask "what goes with 8 to make 10?" in the car or at dinner. Pairs that make 10 are the key facts this year.
What you'll see: Your child starts at the bigger number and counts up, sometimes on a number line.
Why this way: It's a step between counting everything and just knowing the fact.
How to help: When your child counts from 1, ask: can you start at the bigger number?
What you'll see: Numbers split into parts, like 38 written as 30 + 8, or drawings of sticks (tens) and dots (ones).
Why this way: It shows what place value means. The "carry the 1" method hides this, so it usually comes later.
How to help: Ask your child to explain their parts out loud. If you show the method you learned, show it as another way, after theirs.
What you'll see: A line with no marks, with curved jumps drawn above it.
Why this way: Jumping to friendly numbers like 70 is how strong mental-math users think.
How to help: Draw a line and let your child decide the jumps. Different jumps are fine if they land on the right answer.
What you'll see: A subtraction problem solved with jumps going up on a number line, not down.
Why this way: Subtraction is the distance between two numbers. Counting up avoids borrowing mistakes.
How to help: Use it with money: something costs $38 and you pay $62. How much change? Count up like a cashier.
What you'll see: Dots arranged in rows and columns, or circles with the same number inside each.
Why this way: Children need to see what multiplication means before memorizing facts. Arrays later grow into the area model.
How to help: Point out arrays at home: egg cartons, muffin trays, windows. Ask: how many rows? How many in each row?
What you'll see: A rectangle split into boxes, with a number in each box.
Why this way: It shows why multiplication works and leads straight into algebra later.
How to help: Ask your child to talk you through a box. Fast recall of times tables (to 10 × 10) still matters, so practise those separately.
What you'll see: A line from 0 to 1 split into equal parts, with fractions marked.
Why this way: It shows fractions are numbers with a size, not just pieces of pizza.
How to help: Fold a strip of paper in halves, then quarters, and mark the folds.
What you'll see: A division with a column of subtractions down the side, and numbers added up at the end.
Why this way: Your child picks easy chunks they know, so it makes sense even before long division.
How to help: Any chunk is fine: 20 groups at once is just a faster route. Let your child choose.
What you'll see: Bigger area models, and often the standard method too.
Why this way: The four boxes are exactly the four products hidden inside the standard method.
How to help: If you know the standard method, line it up next to the boxes and find the same numbers in both.
What you'll see: Two number lines stacked on top of each other, with matching marks.
Why this way: Finding 10% first, then building up, is the way most adults calculate tips and discounts in their heads.
How to help: Practise with real prices: 20% off $45 at the store, or a 15% tip.
What you'll see: Expressions with brackets, and steps marked in order.
Why this way: Everyone has to agree on the order so a calculation has only one answer.
How to help: Make up a few together and check them on a phone calculator, which follows the same rules.
What you'll see: Coloured tiles or circles with + and − signs, with pairs crossed out.
Why this way: It shows why the sign rules work, instead of memorizing them.
How to help: Use temperature or a bank balance: it's −5 °C and warms up 3 degrees. What's the temperature now?
What you'll see: A drawing of a scale, or the same step written on both sides of an equation.
Why this way: Doing the same thing to both sides keeps the balance. This is the foundation for all high school algebra.
How to help: Always ask your child to check the answer by putting it back in. That habit catches most mistakes.
Last checked October 2, 2026. Dates can change, so always confirm with the organizer.