Personalized Practice
Get customized practice problems matched to your child's current skill level - harder when ready, easier when struggling.
What Is It?
Personalized Practice uses AI to generate custom problem sets that match exactly where your child is - not too easy (boring), not too hard (frustrating). As they improve, the difficulty adjusts.
Why It Works
Textbooks give everyone the same problems. But kids learn at different speeds and have different gaps. Personalized Practice fills the exact gaps your child has, making practice time more efficient and less frustrating.
This is one of AI’s genuine superpowers: infinite patience to generate exactly the problems your child needs.
How To Do It
Step 1: Identify the Skill
What does your child need to practice?
- Multiplication facts
- Fractions
- Grammar (subject-verb agreement, comma usage, etc.)
- Vocabulary
- A specific topic they’re struggling with
Step 2: Set the Level
Have your child prompt AI:
“I’m learning [skill]. I can do [what they can do], but I struggle with [what’s hard]. Can you give me 5 problems that are a little challenging but not too hard?”
For example:
“I’m learning fractions. I can add fractions with the same denominator, but I struggle when the denominators are different. Give me 5 problems to practice.”
Step 3: Attempt Without Help
Your child tries the problems on their own first. No looking at solutions. Struggle is part of learning.
Step 4: Check and Adjust
After attempting, they ask AI to check their work:
“Here are my answers: [answers]. Which ones are correct? For the wrong ones, can you explain what I did wrong without giving me the answer?”
Step 5: Level Up or Down
Based on results:
- Got most right? “Give me 5 slightly harder problems”
- Struggled? “Give me 5 easier problems on the same topic”
- Mixed? “Give me 5 more at the same level”
Example in Action
Topic: Two-digit multiplication
Starting prompt: “I know my times tables up to 12, but I’m learning to multiply bigger numbers like 23 × 7. Give me 5 problems that start easy and get a bit harder.”
AI provides:
- 12 × 4
- 21 × 3
- 34 × 2
- 25 × 6
- 47 × 8
After attempting:
“I got 1, 2, and 3 right, but 4 and 5 were wrong. What am I doing wrong?”
AI explains the error without giving answers:
“For problem 4, it looks like you might have forgotten to add the carried digit. When you multiply 5 × 6 = 30, you write 0 and carry 3. Then when you multiply 2 × 6 = 12, you need to add that carried 3. Try again with that in mind.”
Topics That Work Well
- Math: operations, fractions, decimals, percentages, algebra basics
- Grammar: punctuation, sentence structure, parts of speech
- Vocabulary: definitions, using words in context
- Spelling: pattern-based practice
- Foreign language: verb conjugation, vocabulary
What We’ve Learned
- Starting slightly below their level builds confidence
- “Explain what I did wrong” is more valuable than “give me the answer”
- Short sessions (10-15 problems) work better than marathon practice
- Kids like seeing their level increase over time
Warning Signs (When to Reset)
- They’re asking AI for answers instead of attempting first
- They’re skipping the “explain what I did wrong” step
- They’re only requesting easy problems to feel good
Parent Tip
Check in occasionally: “What level are you on now compared to when you started?” This helps kids see progress. You can also ask AI to generate a “test” after several practice sessions to measure improvement.
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