Start at the beginning. Even if you have a firm grasp of arithmetic, reviewing the basics can fill in gaps in your memory or understanding.
Follow along and work through the examples in your textbook. Analyze the examples to understand the mechanics of the problem. Copying the example won't provide sufficient understanding if you don't understand how the book achieved the result.
Review other learning resources if you can't understand a concept described in your textbook. Other textbooks or online tutorials can offer different explanations of the same topic as well as provide other ways to solve problems.
Do the exercise problems for each chapter. To learn everyday math, you must use the concepts reviewed in your textbook on a regular basis. Practice is one of the best ways to keep the concepts fresh in your mind.
Take notes as you read through your math text. Although you might think you understand the concepts while reading, you could find differently when you try to actually solve a problem.
Don't get frustrated if you make a mistake. Sometimes, wrong answers are not the result of a lack of understanding, but rather an error in syntax. Forgetting to mark a number as a negative, for example, is a common mistake.
Talk to a teacher or tutor if you can't understand why an answer is wrong. If you do not have access to a teacher or tutor, use online forums to get help from others. Understanding where you went wrong can help improve your understanding of a concept.
Check your work. Work backwards through a problem to make sure you achieved the correct result.
Make learning fun. Print out math worksheets from online resources or download and play math games.
Work through the tests at the end of each chapter to make sure you have a good grasp of the lessons in your textbook. When you have scored at least 90 percent on the tests, continue to the next section.