Choosing the right worksheet level for your child

Every worksheet on this site carries a grade and a difficulty, and both are guesses about an average child who does not exist. A seven year old can be two years ahead in reading and six months behind in subtraction, and the same child can be both of those things in the same week. The labels are there to narrow the search, not to decide anything.

The test that takes two minutes

Hand over the sheet and watch the first three questions. You are looking for one of three things:

• Straight through, no pauses. The level is too easy. It is still worth finishing — fluency is built on easy work — but the next sheet should be a step up.
• Slow, with some rubbing out, and finished. This is the level you want. Work that takes effort and still comes out right is what moves a child forward.
• Stuck, or asking for help on every line. Too hard, and worth stopping. A sheet that gets abandoned teaches the child that this subject is the one they cannot do, which takes far longer to undo than a term of easier worksheets.

Go by the topic, not the year

If you know what your child is working on, search for that instead of for their grade. A child stuck on carrying in addition needs addition-with-carrying sheets whether they are six or nine, and the grade label on the sheet matters less than the skill on it.

Print a harder one at the same time

When you are not sure, print the level you expect and the one above it. If the first comes out too easily the second is already in your hand, and you have not lost the evening to another search.