Posted by Angie Seltzer on 8/19/2019 to
Overview
Introduction
It’s easy to start a tutoring business to help elementary or middle school students learn math. You can lead kids to understand and ENJOY math by using engaging activities and games. This 4-part guide includes handy scheduling and record forms. Plus, you’ll find answers to key questions.
• How should I decide which math content to emphasize?
• How can I make sure that parents will pay on time?
• How can I help students learn while having fun?
• What records are important to keep?
The brief guide doesn’t get into advertising or paying taxes, but you’ll be able to find that information online. If you love math, now’s the time to start sharing your excitement with students as you earn extra income!
Part 1: Selecting Your Space & Supplies
Selecting Tutoring Space
What is the best location? Choose a quiet room with a table where you can work without distractions. Usually it is best to tutor at your home or a library rather than at a student’s home.
Should you sit beside the student or across from the student? Ideally, neither. It’s best to sit at a table with two chairs on adjacent sides.
This seating arrangement allows the student and tutor to make eye contact and to view each other’s work easily. Also, the student has more personal space in this arrangement than if the tutor sits next to the student.
Supplies Needed
The most helpful supplies are shown below. Colored paper is nice for printing card games and forms. Place-value dice are great for generating practice problems. A dry-erase board is perfect for showing examples. And you will definitely need plenty of pencils, erasers, and a pencil sharpener! It’s best to provide all the supplies that students will need for your lessons.
Curriculum Resources
Math Goals Checklists
Generally, in Grades K-8, the same core math topics are taught across most states. However, the sequence and approaches will vary. It’s important to have checklists and activities available for the grade level that you are tutoring plus one or two prior grades. You can download free checklists from the Freebies page.
Review and Assessment Activities
It’s important to have textbooks or other resources for the grade levels that you plan to tutor. See inexpensive Self-Assessment & Review Bundles for Grades 3-5 or Grades 6-8 from the K8 Math Sense store at TpT. These bundles include four parallel packets of 60 to 100 questions aligned to the math goals for the grade level. Use these questions to assess mastery of topics at the student’s current grade level and/or earlier grades.
Concept Development Card Sets and Games
For less than you’ll earn from one lesson, you can purchase a bundle of printable card sets to use over and over throughout the year! Play four fun games with any set. These games require students to match math models, numbers, and equivalent expressions, and will lead kids to deeper understanding. Both skill and luck are involved, so you can play against the student and give hints if needed. Just print on colored or white paper, cut out, and play. Kids love these games! To see a list of games, choose your grade level from links at the bottom of the Home Page.
See Part 2 for tutoring tips on pricing and policies.