Child Doesn't Understand the Instructions: Causes and Help
If your child doesn't understand the instructions, the material may not be the problem: task words like "match" or "explain why" are school language and a hurdle of their own for many children, and beginning readers already spend a lot of energy just decoding. Help by having your child find the task word and say in their own words what to do. You may explain the instruction, but the task stays with your child.
Your child sits in front of the worksheet, the pencil lies still, and then comes: "I don't know what I'm supposed to do." That is a different sentence from "I can't do this": sometimes your child has known the material for a while, and only the instruction is unclear.
You are not alone. In a survey by the University of Augsburg of parents of third and fourth graders in Bavaria, 77 percent said they explain the instructions to their child every week (University of Augsburg, 2026 (in German)). According to its own report, the study mainly reflects families with medium to high socioeconomic resources, so the figure does not apply to everyone. You can find the bigger picture in the guide Understanding tasks.
Why your child doesn't understand the instructions even though they know the material
Every task on the worksheet has two parts: the material (numbers, words, sentences) and the instruction, which says what to do with it. Your child can get stuck on either one. With the instruction, there are four stumbling blocks.
1. The task word is school language. "Circle," "match," "explain why": in school, words like these are called operators. The State Office for School and Education of Saxony (Landesamt für Schule und Bildung Sachsen) describes them as "part of academic language, which students are gradually introduced to in elementary school" (LaSuB Sachsen (in German)). Special education teacher Lea Schulz writes on the Klett publishing house's elementary school blog that operators are "a language hurdle for many children that first has to be overcome" (Klett Grundschul-Blog (in German)).
2. Reading still takes too much energy. The Ministry of Schools and Education of North Rhine-Westphalia calls fluent reading a "basic prerequisite for reading comprehension." When decoding the words runs automatically, "cognitive capacity is freed up that is needed to extract meaning" (Schulministerium NRW (in German)). Does your child read haltingly and then struggle to say what they are supposed to do? Try reading the task aloud to them.
3. One sentence holds several instructions. "Read the words, circle the nouns, and write them in your notebook" is three instructions. Someone who starts working after the first one easily loses the rest.
4. Similar words get mixed up. The German instructions "ordne" (sort) and "ordne zu" (match) sound almost the same but ask for something different. According to the Saxon state office, for children to work on tasks independently, they need to be able to, among other things, "tell similar operators apart."
First orientation: where might it be getting stuck?
Before you explain anything, ask your child: "What are you supposed to do here?" The answer can give you a first hint.
| What you observe | Possible hurdle | Your first step |
|---|---|---|
| Your child reads the task aloud but can't say what to do | The task word is unknown | Look the word up in the table below, show it with the first example |
| They read haltingly and have forgotten the beginning by the end of the sentence | Reading takes too much energy | Read the task aloud, practice reading separately |
| They only do the first part | Several instructions in one sentence | Number the instructions together |
| They can say what to do but still get nowhere | The material hasn't sunk in yet | Explain the material or ask the teacher |
| They often don't understand spoken instructions either | Can have many causes | Talk to the teacher and the pediatrician's office (see below) |
| You don't know what is meant either | The task is unclear | Write a short note to the teacher |
The most common task words and what they mean
This table is our own compilation. The middle column is worded the way you can say it to your child.
| Task word | How to explain it to your child | Watch out |
|---|---|---|
| Circle (Kreise ein) | "Draw a circle around what you're looking for." | Don't check it off, don't color it in |
| Check (Kreuze an) | "Put an X in the box that is correct." | See whether one or several are meant |
| Underline (Unterstreiche) | "Draw a line under the word." | Under the word, not through it |
| Cross out (Streiche durch) | "Draw a line right through what doesn't fit." | The line goes through the word, not under it |
| Highlight (Markiere) | "Make it visible with color, for example with a highlighter." | Pay attention to whether a color is specified |
| Color in (Male an) | "Fill the area with color." | Only what the task names |
| Connect (Verbinde) | "Draw a line to the matching partner." | Use a pencil so you can erase |
| Match (Ordne zu) | "Find the matching partner for each piece." | Not the same as "Sort" |
| Sort (Ordne) | "Bring everything into an order: a sequence or groups." | First clarify by what: size, ABC, or groups? |
| Complete, Fill in, Enter (Ergänze, Setze ein, Trage ein) | "Write what's missing in the gap." | Only the missing piece, not everything again |
| Write down, Note (Schreibe auf, Notiere) | "Write it down." | Where: on the sheet or in the notebook? |
| Name (Nenne) | "Say or write it briefly. You don't have to explain anything." | One word or a list is enough |
| Describe (Beschreibe) | "Tell exactly what you see or what happens, in your own words." | No opinion yet, only what is there |
| Compare (Vergleiche) | "What is the same, what is different?" | Both belong in the answer |
| Explain why (Begründe) | "Write down why. A sentence with 'because' helps." | The result alone isn't enough |
| Explain (Erkläre) | "Say it so that someone else understands it." | More than "Name": also the how and why |
| Calculate, Work out (Berechne, Rechne) | "Work it out and write down the result." | Ask whether the working steps are part of it |
| Check (Überprüfe) | "Look whether it is right, for example with the inverse operation." | Show how you checked |
| Estimate (Schätze) | "Make a rough guess without counting exactly." | An estimate is allowed to be off |
| Continue (Setze fort) | "Keep going by the same rule." | First find the rule, then keep going |
How the table came about: Most of the words appear in the list "General operators for elementary school" from the State Office for School and Education of Saxony; "Sort" and "Check" (Überprüfe) appear in its overview for German and math (LaSuB Sachsen). The Klett elementary school blog names "Circle" as an operator (Klett Grundschul-Blog). We added "Cross out," "Color in," "Estimate," and "Continue"; the explanations in kid language are our own wording. According to the Saxon state office, there is no binding list for elementary school, so your school may use individual words differently.
Besides task words, worksheets also contain W-questions (who, what, where, when, why, how many), which the Saxon state office says have "their justification above all in elementary school." Help your child translate them into an instruction: "How many?" asks for a number, "Why?" for a reason, "Where?" for a place, "When?" for a time.
Cheat sheet for the desk
The State Office for School and Education of Saxony recommends reference aids for children, "such as folding booklets, accordion folds, or fans" (LaSuB Sachsen). At home, try a slip of paper with the words that are currently causing trouble, and add matching symbols: a circle for "circle," an X for "check," a line under a word for "underline." The Klett author also suggests that teachers "represent operators with symbols" (Klett Grundschul-Blog).
How to help without solving the task
The goal: your child understands the instruction themselves, and the task stays theirs. Try these five steps:
- Read aloud or be read to. Your child reads the task aloud. If that doesn't work yet, you read it to them (more on this in the next section).
- Find the task word. "Which word tells you what to do?" Your child circles it. If there are several instructions, you number them together: 1, 2, 3.
- Repeat it in their own words. "Tell me in your own words: what are you doing now?" Your child starts only after they can say something like "I'm supposed to circle the nouns in blue."
- Name unknown words. Instead of "I don't understand anything," your child may say: "I don't know what 'syllable arc' means." That is exactly what the educational standards of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (Kultusministerkonferenz, KMK) envision for the end of elementary school: children should "express understanding and not understanding (e.g., by asking questions)" and, when reading, "underline unknown words and ask/look them up" (KMK-Bildungsstandards Deutsch (in German)).
- The first example together, the rest alone. If your child stays unsure, you only do the first box together. After that, you step back. How to withdraw step by step is explained in From what age do children do homework on their own?.
Example (made up, not a real worksheet)
A task in second grade might read like this: Read the words. Circle the nouns in blue and underline the verbs in red. Write three nouns with articles in your notebook.
These two lines hold four instructions: 1. read, 2. circle the nouns in blue, 3. underline the verbs in red, 4. write three nouns with articles in the notebook. Someone who starts coloring after the first sentence easily forgets the verbs or the notebook. If you number the instructions in the margin beforehand, your child can check them off one by one.
A few sentences you can try:
| Instead of | Try this |
|---|---|
| "You have to circle here." | "Which word tells you what to do?" |
| "Just read properly!" | "Read the task to me again, I'm listening." |
| Doing the first task yourself as a demonstration | "Show me at the first box how you would start." |
| "Just do something." | "If neither of us understands it, we'll write a note to your teacher." |
Explaining a task word is not telling the answer. You are not taking the task away from your child, only the language hurdle in front of it. It only gets tricky when you also hand over the solution path.
When reading is the hurdle (grades 1-2)
In first grade, children are just learning to read. Decoding an instruction on their own is then a task in itself. But even later, reading remains a hurdle for many children: according to the elementary school reading study IGLU 2021, 25.4 percent of fourth graders in Germany do not reach the reading competence that is necessary for the transition "from learning to read to reading to learn" (Federal Ministry of Education, 2023 (in German)).
In that case, try separating reading from doing: you read the task aloud, your child repeats in their own words what to do, and does it alone. You practice reading separately from that, with texts your child likes. How to strengthen reading comprehension is shown in Child doesn't understand what they read. You can read more about reading aloud in Reading aloud and listening: why children learn better when they hear. What belongs in first-grade reading is covered in What does my child learn in first grade?
Reading aloud is a bridge, not a permanent state. This is how you can gradually reduce your help, at your child's pace:
| Level | Who reads? | What your child does afterward |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | You read the whole task aloud | Says in their own words what to do |
| 2 | You take turns reading, sentence by sentence | Points to the task word |
| 3 | Your child reads aloud, you listen | Circles the task word themselves |
| 4 | Your child reads silently | Explains the instruction to you before starting |
If you can't sit next to them every time: our app Gennady reads tasks aloud from the photographed worksheet and highlights word by word as it goes, and your child can answer by voice (read-aloud feature). Gennady explains the method step by step and checks your child's answer. If the answer is wrong, there are hints first; for tasks from the worksheet, Gennady shows the correct solution for comparison only on the third try. This does not replace reading practice.
Special case: word problems
With word problems in math, the instruction is usually in a question, not in a task word. You can try these three moves:
- Look for the question first. Your child underlines the question sentence before collecting the numbers.
- Clarify what is being asked. In "Mia has 3 bags with 5 marbles each. How many marbles does she have in total?", a number is being asked for, namely marbles.
- Write the answer sentence with a gap beforehand. "Mia has ___ marbles." That way your child knows before calculating where the result belongs.
You can find a detailed five-step method in Child doesn't understand word problems. If your child can state the instruction but gets stuck with the calculating itself, Child doesn't understand math is more likely to help.
When you should talk to the teacher
An unclear instruction now and then is part of it. Talk to the teacher if:
- over weeks your child doesn't know what to do in almost every subject, even though you have practiced the task words,
- reading in second or third grade is still so laborious that every task hangs on it,
- homework only works when you sit next to them and translate every instruction,
- your child says they often don't know what to do at school either. Then ask whether the teacher has noticed this as well.
If your child often doesn't understand spoken instructions either, an appointment at the pediatrician's office is also worthwhile. Many things can be behind it: the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf names it as a possible sign of an auditory processing and perception disorder (AVWS) when a child "has problems correctly remembering what was heard, repeating it, or carrying out instructions." According to UKE, for the diagnosis, among other things, a hearing disorder, an attention disorder, and a language development disorder must be ruled out (UKE (in German)). This article does not replace advice from a teacher, pediatrician, or learning therapist, nor does it replace a diagnostic assessment.
If you don't understand what is meant yourself
That happens to adults too. In the Reddit forum r/Schule, someone asked about an elementary school child's homework: "the syllable arcs are supposed to be drawn in at the bottom, but at the top? It's really embarrassing to ask, but we're clueless" (Reddit, September 2025 (in German)).
If the instruction is still unclear after the second reading, don't guess. See whether there is an example on the sheet or a similar task from class in the notebook. If that doesn't help, write a short note in the homework notebook. With the note, you can show the teacher where it got stuck. Also tell your child explicitly that asking questions is allowed.
Template for the note
Dear Ms. ... (Dear Mr. ...), in task 2 on the worksheet, we weren't sure what to do in the upper part. We understood it like this: ... Could you briefly explain it again? Best regards
If German is not your first language, a translation of the task words can help. The Berlin-Brandenburg education server offers a list of cross-subject operators such as name, describe, compare, and explain why in Arabic, Modern Greek, Spanish, Italian, Polish, Russian, Turkish, and Vietnamese (Bildungsserver Berlin-Brandenburg (in German)). According to the footnote of the multilingual list (PDF) (in German), it comes from a handout for grades 5-10, but the four words also appear in the Saxon elementary school list. More in the guide Homework help for multilingual families.
Frequently asked questions
What should I do if my child doesn't understand the instructions?
First ask: What are you supposed to do here? If your child can't say, find the task word together, for example circle or match, and clarify it with an example. Then your child repeats the instruction in their own words. Explain the instruction, but don't solve the task.
My child doesn't understand instructions right away. Is that normal?
Occasional misunderstandings are no reason to worry, especially with instructions that have several parts. Give instructions one at a time and have your child repeat what to do. If your child often doesn't understand spoken instructions over a longer period either, talk to the teacher and the pediatrician's office, because only specialists can clarify the causes.
What is meant by this task on the worksheet, and how do I explain it to my child?
First find the task word and look for an example on the sheet or a similar task in the notebook. If it stays unclear, don't guess, but write a short note in the homework notebook. That is not failure, but shows the teacher where it gets stuck.
How much should parents help with homework without taking it over?
With the instruction, you may help a lot: read aloud, explain task words, number instructions. The task itself stays with your child. A workable limit is the first example: you do that together, and your child does the rest alone.
Have tasks read aloud
Gennady reads every task aloud, word by word to read along, and your child can answer by voice. Try it free for 7 days.
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- University of Augsburg (Christina Herrmann, Maximilian Bäumler): Hausaufgaben- und Lernbetreuung in der Familie. Ergebnisbericht zur Elternbefragung (2026). Report as PDF
- Federal Ministry of Education and Research (now BMFTR): Lesen ist das Fundament für Bildungserfolg, press release on IGLU 2021 (2023). Press release
- State Office for School and Education of Saxony: Aufgabenformate, Anforderungsbereiche, Operatoren (as of September 2026). Website
- Ministry of Schools and Education of North Rhine-Westphalia: Lesekompetenz gezielt fördern, Leseschwierigkeiten vermeiden. Hintergrundwissen und Unterrichtsanregungen für die Praxis, chapter 3 (2023). Chapter 3 online, PDF (in German)
- State Institute for School and Media Berlin-Brandenburg: Operatoren, Basiscurriculum Sprachbildung (as of September 2026). Website, multilingual list as PDF
- Ernst Klett Verlag, Grundschul-Blog (Lea Schulz): Operatoren: Sprachliche Stolpersteine in der Mathematik (2016). Article
- Kultusministerkonferenz: Bildungsstandards für das Fach Deutsch, Primarbereich (version of 06/23/2022). PDF
- University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf: Auditive Verarbeitungs- und Wahrnehmungsstörung (as of September 2026). Website
- Reddit, r/Schule: post "Grundschulhausaufgaben" (September 2025). Post