If you’re a parent in the U.S., chances are you’ve had this moment: your child is slumped over their homework, pencil tapping, eyebrows scrunched, and you hear those four words you weren’t prepared for—“Can you help me?” You slide the worksheet closer and see something like this: 8 + 4 × 2. And suddenly you’re thirteen again, staring at your own math homework and wondering—do I add first? Multiply first? Just go left to right? This is where BODMAS saves the day. It’s not fancy math; it’s the simple, universal rule that keeps everyone from getting into arguments over problems like this. And trust me, without it, math class would look more like a courtroom than a classroom.
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Okay, let’s clear this up before your child asks and you’re fumbling for an answer. BODMAS stands for:
It’s the order you’re supposed to follow when solving math problems. Think of it like traffic laws. Without stoplights and stop signs, everyone’s just honking, cutting each other off, and yelling, “But I was here first!”
Math without BODMAS? Same chaos.
Here’s our earlier problem: 8 + 4 × 2.
The correct answer is 16.
This is the referee that keeps math arguments from exploding in classrooms across the country.
Good catch. In the U.S., teachers often use PEMDAS instead of BODMAS. It’s the same thing—just a different accent, if you will.
Remember the phrase “Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally”? That’s PEMDAS. My kid once thought it was a real family member we had to respect. Same idea, same rule.
So if your child’s teacher says PEMDAS, and an online math tutor says BODMAS, don’t panic. They’re both talking about the exact same order.
You’d think something this straightforward wouldn’t cause so many headaches. But oh, it does.
Kids often:
And parents? We often mix up what we remember with what’s actually right. I’ve had moments where my son showed me his work, I told him it was wrong, and then his teacher’s red pen proved me wrong. Humbling, to say the least.
The confusion isn’t because kids are lazy or “bad at math.” It’s because without practice, order of operations feels unnatural. Most of us, left on our own, read equations like we read English—left to right.
Here’s the thing: kids sometimes roll their eyes and say, “When will I ever use this?” And it’s tempting to laugh it off. But the truth is, BODMAS shows up more often than you think:
And of course, there’s the big one: standardized tests. SAT and ACT math sections are crawling with problems designed to trip up students who don’t follow the order. One tiny misstep, and boom—you’ve lost points.
So yes, this rule matters. It’s not just a classroom gimmick.
I’ll be honest: sitting down with your child to explain this can test your patience more than assembling IKEA furniture. But it doesn’t have to be torture. Here are a few strategies that have saved my sanity:
Numbers alone can feel cold. Wrap them in something fun.
When kids can picture it, they get it.
Write a problem, solve it the wrong way, and hand it to your child. Ask, “What did I mess up?”
Kids love catching adults in errors—it flips the power dynamic and makes learning fun.
Challenge your child: “I’ll solve this one, you solve it too, and let’s see who’s faster.”
Spoiler: sometimes they’ll win. And that’s exactly the confidence boost they need.
Sometimes, no matter how much you try, your child just doesn’t click with your explanations. That’s where platforms like Ruvimo come in. With a dedicated online math tutor in the U.S., your child gets one-on-one guidance, at their pace, without the pressure of the classroom. Parents I know have said it’s the difference between nightly homework battles and peaceful evenings.
Here are the three biggest pitfalls I’ve seen kids fall into:
These mistakes are predictable, which is good news for parents—you’ll know exactly what to watch for.
Something I’ve noticed, both with my own kids and others: when a child finally “gets” BODMAS, it’s like a switch flips. Suddenly, math feels less like a foreign language and more like a puzzle they know how to solve.
That confidence is contagious. It spills into algebra, geometry, even calculus down the line. It shows up when they’re practicing for the SAT or ACT and realize, “Hey, I can actually do this.”
And yes, as silly as it sounds, it shows up when they’re figuring out the price of shoes on sale at Target.
If you’re reading this and thinking, “I don’t have the patience or the know-how to teach this every night,” you’re not alone. Parents all over the U.S. are realizing that personalized tutoring is less about “outsourcing homework” and more about giving their kids tools to succeed.
Ruvimo, for example, has tutors online in the U.S. who don’t just drill problems—they walk kids through the why behind the rule. And it’s not limited to math. They also offer online science tutors and online English tutors for families who want well-rounded support.
The point isn’t just better grades—it’s fewer tears at the dining table, and a child who believes they’re capable.
Here’s a quick set you can do with your child before bed:
Don’t just check the answers—ask them to explain their steps. That explanation is where real learning happens.
If you’ve ever helped your child with homework after a long workday, you know that math problems don’t just sit quietly on the page. They stare back at you. They dare you. And sometimes, they ignite an argument big enough to ruin the whole evening.
It usually goes something like this:
It’s easy to blame kids for “not paying attention.” But here’s the truth: most American students stumble on BODMAS (also called PEMDAS in the U.S.) because math classes don’t always stop to explain why the rule exists. Teachers rush through because there’s a test next week. Students memorize “Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally” without really understanding it.
The result? Confusion, frustration, and those late-night kitchen-table battles that parents know all too well.
Think about this problem:
6 ÷ 2(1+2)
Half the internet says the answer is 1. The other half screams 9.
And here you are, caught in the middle, with your child looking at you like you’re supposed to be Einstein.
This is where the rule matters. And this is where many parents begin searching phrases like “online math tutor in US” or “geometry help for middle school” at 10:30 p.m. on a Tuesday.
Let’s be honest: American family life is busy. Between school pick-ups, sports practices, grocery runs, and Zoom work meetings, nobody has hours to spare figuring out why the brackets come first. So what happens? Kids wing it. Parents let them. The answer gets marked wrong. And little by little, confidence slips.
That’s what I call the Kitchen Table Test. If a rule doesn’t survive a real-world kitchen table homework session, then students aren’t really learning it. They’re just memorizing.
And memorization fades fast—especially when SAT and ACT prep later on demand not just answers, but speed and accuracy.
Here’s something most moms and dads don’t say out loud:
It’s not just about math homework. It’s about what comes next.
Because in the U.S., math isn’t just another subject. It’s the backbone of SAT scores. It’s a gatekeeper for scholarships. It’s the hidden key behind AP classes, college admissions, and career choices.
If your child can’t master the basics—like the BODMAS rule—how will they manage algebra, trigonometry, calculus, or even the delta symbol that pops up in statistics?
That’s the real fear parents carry. Not the wrong answer on a worksheet, but the ripple effect years down the road.
This is where services like Ruvimo change the game. Not every parent has the time (or the math memory) to guide their child through every step. And frankly, you shouldn’t have to.
With a good online math tutor, kids don’t just get the “right answer.” They get the reasoning behind it. They hear someone patient explain, again and again if needed, why the brackets take priority over multiplication, and how that connects to the bigger picture of algebra or geometry.
And because tutoring happens online, families in the U.S. don’t need to commute across town after dinner. Students can log in, work through a tricky SAT practice problem, and still have time to watch their favorite show before bed.
That balance—academic support without sacrificing family life—is why U.S. online math tutoring has become so popular.
Let me share a story from a friend. Her son, Ethan, is a bright eighth grader who loves science but hates math. Every time he faced a problem with parentheses, he’d freeze. One night, his mom described the scene:
“Ethan slammed his pencil down, muttered something about math being stupid, and stalked off. I sat there staring at his paper. Honestly, I wasn’t even sure how to solve it myself. I thought—if I can’t do this, how can I expect him to?”
That’s when she found an online math tutor through Ruvimo. The first session wasn’t magic—but it was calm. Ethan’s tutor explained BODMAS using a baseball analogy: first the brackets are like the bases, then the exponents are like the batting order, and so on. Suddenly, Ethan laughed. He actually got it.
Now, months later, he doesn’t dread math nights. His mom told me, “We still argue about video games, but not about math anymore.”
That’s the transformation parents are looking for—not just better grades, but peace at the dinner table.
Here’s the secret teachers don’t always share: mastering BODMAS is like tipping the first domino. Once kids grasp it, other areas—algebra, fractions, percentages, even trigonometry—fall into place more easily.
Why? Because math builds like Lego bricks. Miss one piece, and the tower wobbles. Secure the base, and suddenly geometry proofs or calculus problems don’t seem so impossible.
And when kids start seeing success, they stop saying “I’m just not a math person.” They start saying, “Okay, I can do this.” That confidence shift matters as much as the skill itself.
If you’ve ever read education reports, you’ve probably seen the phrase “math gap.” It refers to how U.S. students often trail behind in math compared to other countries. But the truth is, the gap isn’t just international—it’s also inside classrooms.
Some kids “get it” quickly. Others fall behind early. By the time standardized tests like the SAT or ACT roll around, the gap has turned into a canyon.
That’s why so many American parents quietly hire tutors. They know their kids are smart. They just need help bridging that canyon before it becomes permanent.
And it’s not just math anymore. Families also turn to an online English tutor for essay prep or an online science tutor for chemistry help. Because when college admissions are on the line, every subject matters.
But for math? It starts here—with order of operations. With a simple, universal rule that either makes sense or causes years of stress.
Let me drop this here because it’s part of the bigger story: When families search for help, they don’t always type “BODMAS rule” into Google. They search for things like:
That’s why a service like Ruvimo doesn’t just list “math tutors.” They cover calculus, geometry, algebra, pre-algebra, trigonometry, even the scary symbols like delta in statistics. Because parents don’t want a patch. They want a full solution.
If you’ve stuck with me this far, you probably already know the BODMAS rule isn’t just about worksheets and red marks on a math quiz. It has this sneaky way of showing up everywhere—at the grocery store, when you’re double-checking your kid’s SAT prep work, even when you’re arguing with your spouse over whether to pay down the credit card first or save for that Disney trip. (Yes, math really does sneak into those conversations.)
I want to close this series by talking less like a “math blogger” and more like a parent who’s been in the trenches. Because, honestly, I have been. And so have you. The late nights, the calculator arguments, the “but why does it matter” debates—you’re not alone. Let’s unpack what makes order of operations actually practical for American families, how it ties into bigger life skills, and what you can do when you feel like your child is drowning in formulas.
I don’t know about you, but a lot of math in my house doesn’t happen at a desk. It happens on the kitchen table. Homework spread out next to a half-eaten sandwich. A soda can used as a makeshift paperweight. Somebody’s scribbled grocery list in the margins of a math worksheet (guilty).
Here’s the thing: kids don’t always absorb math from just the textbook. They absorb it from how we parents react when we bump into numbers in daily life. When you’re splitting a pizza and mutter, “Okay, half of a half is a quarter, right?”—that’s BODMAS at work. When you pull out your phone and calculate a 20% Target discount on a $35 jacket—that’s BODMAS too.
The order matters. And if your child sees you casually applying it while juggling everyday decisions, it feels less like a rule written in stone and more like common sense.
Now, let’s be honest. The moment you say, “Sweetie, let’s remember BODMAS,” you will probably get an eye-roll worthy of an Olympic medal. Especially if your kid is in high school and already buried in geometry, algebra, or SAT prep.
But here’s what’s funny. Those same kids who claim they’ll “never need this in real life” are also the ones frantically Googling “ACT math hacks” at midnight. And guess what pops up in those hacks? Yep. Order of operations.
It’s not glamorous. It’s not Instagram-worthy. But it’s foundational. Every online math tutor I’ve ever spoken with will tell you: the students who struggle most aren’t the ones missing some obscure calculus trick. They’re the ones skipping the basics—like parentheses before exponents.
So the eye-roll? It’s part of the deal. Think of it like vegetables. They’ll thank you later.
Here’s a confession. I used to think BODMAS was just another hoop to jump through in middle school math. Then I watched my son try to plan his week during SAT prep season. He had assignments, soccer practice, and three different group chats buzzing with “urgent” teenage plans. He wanted to do it all at once. And it fell apart, of course.
That’s when it hit me: BODMAS isn’t only about numbers. It’s about order. Life gives us ten things at once, and if you don’t know what comes first, you get chaos.
It’s not a perfect analogy, but you get the point. When we teach our kids the order of operations, we’re sneakily teaching them how to sort priorities. And trust me, that matters more in life than just passing algebra.
A quick rant, if you’ll allow it. Calculators and math apps are both a blessing and a curse. My daughter once typed 8 ÷ 2(2 + 2) into a calculator and swore the machine was wrong. The calculator gave one answer, her friend’s calculator gave another, and suddenly the group text was on fire with debates.
Turns out, calculators are only as good as the rules behind them. And if a kid doesn’t know BODMAS, they don’t know which answer is right. Cue the panic. Cue the tears. Cue a parent Googling at midnight.
This is where U.S. online math tutoring programs—like Ruvimo and others—make a difference. A tutor can sit with your child and say, “No, the calculator isn’t broken. Here’s why order matters.” And in that moment, confusion turns into clarity.
If you’ve ever wished for an extra math brain in the house, that’s basically what an online math tutor is. And sometimes, yes, it saves both your sanity and your child’s GPA.
I’ve talked to so many parents who whisper, “I was never a math person.” As if math people are some rare species who sit around solving equations for fun.
Here’s the truth: your kid doesn’t need you to be a calculus expert. They just need you to show that math is worth respecting. If you admit you struggled in algebra but you’re still willing to sit down and try—that speaks volumes.
And if you decide, “Okay, we need backup,” that’s fine too. In fact, it’s smart. Whether it’s a U.S. online math tutoring service like Ruvimo, or even branching into an online English tutor or online science tutor for balance, it shows your child that learning is not about being perfect—it’s about finding resources that work.
That’s a life lesson bigger than any formula.
Let’s be real. A lot of the parents reading this are quietly worried about college. The SAT, the ACT, the stress about whether your kid will even have enough time to master trigonometry, geometry, and all the rest.
This is where order of operations sneaks back into the picture. On standardized tests, questions are designed to trip up students who rush. Miss the order? Lose points. And in the high-stakes world of college admissions, every point matters.
I’ve watched a kid jump from a mediocre SAT math score to an impressive one simply because they slowed down, applied BODMAS consistently, and stopped second-guessing themselves. No new fancy formulas. No “math genius awakening.” Just basic discipline with order of operations.
Sometimes the simplest things carry the biggest weight.
The funniest part? Our kids will roll their eyes at the word “BODMAS,” but they live in it every day without realizing.
If you remember nothing else from this entire blog, let it be this: order matters. In math. In school. In life.
And if you feel overwhelmed as a parent trying to guide your child through the maze of algebra, trigonometry, calculus, SAT prep, or even just Tuesday night homework—you don’t have to do it alone. That’s why services like Ruvimo exist. Real tutors. Real people. Helping U.S. families one equation at a time.
Because at the end of the day, math isn’t about being a “math person.” It’s about giving our kids the confidence to face numbers (and life) without fear. And if that means pulling in an online math tutor, or even adding an online English tutor or online science tutor to the mix, so be it.
Your child deserves tools. And you deserve peace of mind. BODMAS may just be one rule, but it’s the kind of rule that makes everything else less messy. And that’s worth mastering.
Wren is an experienced elementary and middle school math tutor specializing in online math tutoring for students who need extra support with foundational skills and fluency.
