Peru · Maths in English for children · Ages 6 to 12
Maths for kids in English, live from Peru
Children learn maths most easily by touching it: counters, strips of paper, rows of buttons on a table. Learning it in English adds one more layer, and young children usually cope with that layer far better than adults expect. This page is for parents of children aged 6 to 12 in Peru. It covers when a child can start, what primaria maths is trying to build, how a live class works for a small child, and one lesson you can try at the kitchen table tonight.
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For busy parents
Modern Age Coders teaches maths for kids in English to children aged 6 to 12 in Peru: live online classes, taught only in English, where a teacher and a small learner share a screen and work with counters, drawings and simple problems. Children are grouped with others of their own age in classes of fifteen to twenty, or taught one to one, at whatever hour suits your family in Peru time. Lessons build number sense, the four operations, fractions, shapes and reasoning, next to school rather than instead of it.
Three good first courses
Where children of 6 to 12 begin
One for the youngest thinkers, one that follows the primaria years grade by grade, and one for quick, confident mental arithmetic.
At what age can a child start learning maths in English?
From 6, the age at which Peruvian children begin primaria. A child who is starting to read numbers and follow simple instructions can follow a live maths class in English, provided the class is built for six year olds.
What Peruvian law and MINEDU say
Under the Ley General de Educación, primaria is the second level of regular basic education and lasts six years. Its Reglamento, D.S. 011-2012-ED, says primaria serves children from the age of 6.
MINEDU's table of normative ages, measured on 31 March each year, places a child of 6 in 1st grade of primaria and a child of 11 in 6th grade. So "maths for kids" on this page means roughly the six primaria years, plus the first year of secundaria for twelve year olds.
What that means in our classes
We group children by age, not just by level: a six year old never shares a class with an eleven year old. The youngest groups use far more objects, pictures and gestures than words, and lessons are shorter in attention span if not in clock time.
Below 6, we usually suggest waiting, or a very gentle one-to-one start with a parent beside the child. From 9 or 10, many children can add a little typed Python to their maths, as in the lesson further down.
A common worry is that maths in English will confuse a child who is still learning to read in Spanish. In practice the opposite often happens: numbers and shapes look the same in both languages, and a child who already knows that 3 + 4 = 7 only needs the words "three", "plus" and "seven". The language arrives on top of maths the child can already see.
Primaria maths
What should a child learn in primaria maths in Peru?
The national curriculum, the CNEB, organises school maths around four kinds of problem rather than a list of tricks. That suits learning in English well, because each kind of problem can be shown with objects first.
Quantity, and change
Two of the CNEB's four maths competencies are about solving problems of quantity and problems of regularity, equivalence and change. In plain words: counting, operations, fractions, and spotting patterns and rules. Our arrays lesson below lives exactly here.
Shape, and data
The other two cover form, movement and location, and data and uncertainty: shapes, measuring, maps, simple graphs and "how likely is it?". Young children meet these through drawing, folding paper and counting things in a picture.
How much time school gives
The CNEB plan of studies gives maths five 45-minute periods a week in grades 1 and 2 and four in grades 3 to 6, which is 225 and then 180 minutes a week by our arithmetic. It gives English two periods a week in the first two grades and three afterwards.
The CNEB is frank that English in primaria depends on the school having an English teacher: the area is phased in "dependiendo de la contratación de estos docentes". So one child may reach a maths class with us having had several years of English at school, and another almost none. We place children by what they can follow, not by what the timetable says they should have had.
What the national test found
MINEDU's ENLA 2024 was a census test of 532,000 pupils in 4th grade of primaria, in 18,112 public and private schools. MINEDU reported a recovery in reading and maths, and for rural pupils a fall in the share at the lowest maths level, from 36.8% to 28.7%.
Those are national figures and say nothing about any single child. They do show that fourth grade is where Peru measures primary maths, which makes grades 3 and 4 a sensible moment to check that number sense is secure.
What we look for in a first class
Can the child count on from a number rather than from one? Do they know that 4 x 3 and 3 x 4 are the same, and can they show why? Can they say which of two fractions is bigger with a drawing?
Those three checks tell a teacher more than a worksheet of sums. They are also the ideas our arrays lesson is built on.
A lesson to try
How do you teach multiplication to a child in English? Arrays, counters and a little Python
This is one of our favourite lessons for children of 7 to 11. It begins with buttons or coins on a table and ends, for older children, with a few lines of Python. Along the way a child meets multiplication, its order, factor pairs and, without being told, prime numbers.
Make a rectangle. Give your child 12 buttons and ask them to lay them out in neat rows, with every row the same length. Ask in English: "How many rows? How many in each row?"
Say it as multiplication. Three rows of four is twelve. Write it as 3 x 4 = 12. The word "rows" and the word "of" carry the whole idea.
Turn the table. Walk round to the other side, or rotate the paper. Now it is four rows of three. Nothing moved, so 3 x 4 must equal 4 x 3. A child who sees this never needs to memorise it.
Find every rectangle. How many different rectangles can 12 buttons make? Write each one down: 1 by 12, 2 by 6, 3 by 4, and their turned versions.
Try a stubborn number. Now use 7 buttons. However hard you try, the only rectangle is one long line. Ask: "Why does 7 not make a rectangle?"
From the table to the screen
For children of about 9 and up, we then draw the same arrays with Python. Version 1 prints rows of the letter "o" and multiplies. Running it with 3 and 4, then with 4 and 3, puts the turned table on the screen.
Version 2 asks the computer to do what the child did by hand: try every number of rows and keep the ones where the buttons come out even. The % sign gives the remainder, so a remainder of 0 means a neat rectangle.
What the child discovers
Twelve has six rectangles, counting turned ones. Seven has only two, both of them a single line. Sixteen has five, an odd number, because one of its rectangles is a square that looks the same when turned.
The last line of Version 2 lists every number below 30 whose only rectangles are lines. Children recognise the list as "the awkward numbers". The teacher then gives them their proper name: prime numbers.
Version 1: rows of counters, and the turned tablePython
def array(rows, cols):
for r in range(rows):
print("o " * cols)
print(rows, "rows of", cols, "is", rows * cols)
array(3, 4)
array(4, 3)
It prints three rows of four o and the line 3 rows of 4 is 12, then four rows of three and 4 rows of 3 is 12.
Version 2: every rectangle, and the numbers with only one linePython
def rectangles(n):
found = []
for rows in range(1, n + 1):
if n % rows == 0:
found.append((rows, n // rows))
return found
for n in (12, 7, 16):
print(n, "counters:", rectangles(n))
lonely = [n for n in range(2, 30) if len(rectangles(n)) == 2]
print("Only a single line:", lonely)
It prints 12 counters: [(1, 12), (2, 6), (3, 4), (4, 3), (6, 2), (12, 1)], 7 counters: [(1, 7), (7, 1)], 16 counters: [(1, 16), (2, 8), (4, 4), (8, 2), (16, 1)] and Only a single line: [2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29].
Notice what the child did not do: memorise a definition. They built rectangles, noticed that some numbers refuse, and only then heard the word "prime". A prime is a number of counters that will only make a line. A child who learns it that way can explain it in English to a grandparent, which is the real test of understanding.
Ages 6 to 7. Make rectangles with 6 buttons. How many can you find? Say each one in English: "two rows of three".
Ages 8 to 9. Which numbers from 10 to 20 make a square as one of their rectangles? Draw them.
Ages 10 to 12, Python. Change Version 2 to count the rectangles of every number up to 50. Which numbers have an odd count? What do they have in common?
Children online
Are children in Peru ready for live online classes?
More every year, though younger children are still less online than teenagers. INEI measures who used the internet in the second quarter of each year, and the age split is useful for parents of small children.
People in Peru who used the internet, by age group, second quarter of 2023 to 2026 (INEI)
Age group
2023
2024
2025
2026
6 to 11 years
60.1%
61.7%
61.5%
68.2%
12 to 18 years
89.7%
91.4%
90.7%
92.5%
19 to 24 years
95.6%
96.4%
96.4%
97.3%
Everyone aged 6 and over
77.6%
80.0%
81.0%
84.2%
Source: table 2.1 of INEI's household ICT bulletin for April to June 2026, based on its national household survey (ENAHO), consulted on 9 November 2026. The 2026 column is preliminary. INEI notes that the 6 to 11 group rose by 6.7 percentage points between 2025 and 2026, more than any other age group.
What the table tells a parent
About two children in three aged 6 to 11 used the internet in 2026, against more than nine in ten teenagers. For a young child, a live class may be their first time using a computer for something other than videos or games.
That is fine, but it changes the first lessons. Our teachers spend part of the first class on the basics: where the microphone button is, how to raise a hand on screen, how to draw on the shared board.
What a parent does
With a child of six or seven, stay close for the first two or three classes, set up the camera and step back once the child is comfortable. From about 9, most children manage alone after a week or two.
Keep the class on one device in a shared room rather than behind a closed door. That is good practice for any child online, and it lets you hear the English your child is using.
In class
What happens in a live maths class for a young child?
Short activities, lots of talking and very little sitting still. A class for six year olds looks quite different from one for eleven year olds, and both look different from a school lesson.
Objects at home
Before class we may ask for twenty small things on the table: buttons, beans, pasta shapes. The teacher shows an idea on screen and the child copies it with real objects, then says what they did.
One word at a time
Teachers introduce English words slowly and repeat them often: "more", "less", "equal", "half", "rows". Each word is written on the board next to a picture, and the child says it back.
Short, varied tasks
Young children switch activity every few minutes: a counting game, a drawing, a puzzle, a quick story problem. The maths idea stays the same while the activity changes.
Children are never put on the spot for their English. A child who answers "seis" gets a smile and the English word, then a chance to say it. Within a few weeks most children reply in English without thinking, because the words are attached to things they can see and touch.
For older primaria children, the classes become more like problem solving. Story problems are read aloud, drawn as a picture, then solved and checked. A child of 10 or 11 is asked to explain one answer in a full English sentence each class, starting with "I know this because".
English level
My child speaks very little English. Can they still learn maths in English?
Usually yes, if the class is designed for it. Maths gives a child something concrete to hold on to while the language grows around it.
Why maths is a good first subject in English
Numbers, shapes and symbols are shared between Spanish and English. A child can follow a great deal of a maths lesson from what they see on the board, and the English words become labels for ideas they already have.
Peru's adults rate "Moderate" in English overall in the EF English Proficiency Index 2025, and Lima "High". Many children therefore hear some English at home already, even if they rarely speak it.
When we suggest one to one
If a child understands almost no spoken English, or is shy about speaking, a few one-to-one classes help. The teacher can slow down, use more gestures and wait longer for an answer without holding a group back.
Most children move into a group of their own age once they can follow simple instructions. The free first class is the easiest way to find out where your child stands.
Will my child understand maths, or just learn tricks?
Understand. The arrays lesson shows how: the child builds the idea before anyone names it. Tricks come later, if at all, and only once the child can say why they work.
Why before how
A child who knows why 3 x 4 equals 4 x 3 has half the times tables for free. We teach that before asking anyone to recite anything.
No chatbots for children
Children do not use AI chatbots in our classes. Claude is for adults of 18 and over under Anthropic's terms, and ChatGPT needs a parent's permission for under-18s; a primary-age child has no need for either to learn maths.
The same teaching everywhere
A child in Lima, Arequipa, Piura or a small town with a steady connection gets the same teachers and the same lessons. Distance changes the clock, not the quality.
Peru times
What time would my child's maths class be?
At a time you choose. Peru never changes its clocks and sits at UTC minus 5; India sits at UTC plus 5:30. Add ten and a half hours to a Peru time and you have the time in India, on any date. The rows are conversions, not a timetable.
Peru hours that suit young children, and the time in India
Peru time
India time
When families choose it
07:30
18:00
Before an afternoon school shift
10:30
21:00
A Saturday morning, or the summer break
12:30
23:00
Lunchtime on a day without school
15:00
01:30, next day
Home from a morning shift, after lunch
16:30
03:00, next day
After school, before homework
19:00
05:30, next day
Early evening, before bedtime routines
Clock data from the IANA tz database: Peru (America/Lima) has kept UTC minus 5 without summer time since 1994, and India (Asia/Kolkata) keeps UTC plus 5:30. The last column is our own suggestion for young children.
For children under 9 we suggest classes before about 19:00 Peru time, when attention is still good. You choose the hour on your own clock when you book, and it stays the same all year because neither country moves its clocks.
Progress
How a child grows in maths and in English
These stages are ours, not a school standard. We use them to place children in the right group and to tell parents, in plain words, what has changed.
Maths and English stages for children (ours)
Stage
Typical age
In maths, the child can
In English, the child can
1. Count
6
Count objects and compare groups
Say numbers to twenty and "more" or "less"
2. Combine
6 to 7
Add and take away with objects and drawings
Say "plus", "minus" and "equals"
3. Arrange
7 to 8
Build arrays and see multiplication in them
Say "rows of" and describe a rectangle
4. Share
8 to 9
Divide fairly and meet simple fractions
Name halves, thirds and quarters
5. Explain
9 to 11
Solve two-step story problems and check them
Explain an answer starting "I know this because"
6. Generalise
11 to 12
Spot rules in patterns and test them
Describe a pattern and say when it breaks
For parents
Stage 3 is the arrays lesson. When your child turns a rectangle round and says "it is the same", something important has happened.
Ask your child to teach you one thing from class in English. Teaching is the clearest sign of learning.
For children
If you are stuck, draw it. Most maths problems get easier with a picture.
It is fine to answer in Spanish first. Then try the English word.
More for children
Nine more courses for children
Every course is live and in English, with a teacher who stays with the group.
I
The youngest
Ages 4 to 8
MKE / Y / 01
Early maths foundations
Counting and shapes with real objects, ages 4 to 7.
How live maths classes for children work from Peru
Any day, any time, flexible: choose a batch, or for a very personalised plan choose 1-on-1 at the hour that suits your family.
Mornings
A Peru morning is an Indian evening, a natural teaching hour for us.
Afternoons
After-school hours in Peru are popular for younger children; tell us yours.
1-on-1
One child, one teacher, at a pace set entirely around your child.
Same-age groups
Six year olds learn with six year olds.
Things to touch
Counters, paper and drawings come before symbols.
Gentle English
New words one at a time, always with a picture.
One teacher
The same person every week, who knows your child.
Parent updates
A short note on what was learnt and what to practise.
Group or alone
Fifteen to twenty children, or one child alone.
Student work
Where children can go next
Children who enjoy maths and stay with us often move into coding, and their projects grow with them. Here are some by our older students; the student labs page has more.
AI and ML
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Fees
Fees for children's maths classes in Peru
Our fees are in US dollars and are paid by card. Each month your bank converts the charge into soles at its own rate, so your statement may show a slightly different figure each time.
Parents and students in their own words, quoted exactly from Google reviews.
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Parents in Peru ask
Maths for kids in English: questions and answers
Are the classes in Spanish?
No. Every class is live, online and in English only. Teachers speak slowly and clearly, adapt to each child's pace and accent, and show everything with objects and pictures, so a child who is still learning English can follow.
What age can my child start?
From 6, the age at which children in Peru begin primaria. The youngest groups use counters, drawings and very simple English. For children under 6 we suggest waiting, or a gentle one-to-one start with a parent nearby.
My child speaks almost no English. Is that a problem?
Not usually. Maths uses numbers and shapes that look the same in both languages, and teachers introduce English words slowly with pictures. A child with very little English may start one to one and join a group later.
What maths do the classes cover?
Counting, the four operations, place value, fractions, shapes, measuring, simple data and lots of reasoning puzzles. We teach alongside school and follow the stages children of each age usually reach, without replacing the school's own programme.
When can my child's classes be?
Any day, any time, flexible: choose a batch, or for a very personalised plan choose 1-on-1 at the hour that suits your family. A class at 16:30 in Peru is at 03:00 the next morning for the teacher in India, and our teachers are used to that.
How long is a class, and is it too long for a six year old?
Classes for young children are broken into short activities of a few minutes each, with movement, objects and drawing. Teachers watch attention closely and change activity before a child tires.
Does my child need a computer?
A laptop, desktop or tablet works well. A phone screen is too small for drawing and moving things on the shared board. A headset helps a young child hear the teacher clearly.
Do I need to sit with my child?
Yes for the youngest, during the first few classes, to help with the camera and microphone. Most children of 9 and over manage on their own after a week or two.
Are you connected with MINEDU or my child's school?
No. Modern Age Coders is a separate, independent school teaching online from India. We have no link with MINEDU, a UGEL or any Peruvian school, and we give no Peruvian marks or qualifications. A child who finishes one of our courses gets a certificate of completion from us.
How are the fees paid?
With a card, in US dollars, once a month. The bank turns each charge into soles at its own rate, which is why the figure on a statement moves a little. Booking the free first class needs no card.
In the free class your child plays a few counting and shape games with a teacher, in simple English, while the teacher notices what they already know and how much English they follow. Afterwards you get a suggestion: a course, a group of children their age or one-to-one classes, and a good hour.
Want to know more first? How we teach walks through a class, and the course list shows every syllabus.
Teachers join from India on live video and speak English throughout. Questions? A WhatsApp message in English gets the fastest answer.
Want a class sooner? Book a priority demo
A priority demo is a full class of about 45 to 60 minutes. After the class the mentor sends a written skill report and a personal learning roadmap on WhatsApp. If you enrol, the demo fee is adjusted against your first month's fee. Share your demo Order ID with us on WhatsApp and we take it off.
