Research math bridge to algebra classes available online and in your community. Contact your middle or high school office and ask what resources they recommend for preparing students for algebra. Talk to a local educational tutoring center to find out what math bridge summer, winter or spring break classes are available to prepare students for algebra.
Look for resources that teach or review fractions, problems with fractions and decimals, ratios and proportions. Review information yourself with your child or student about percentages, integers and geometric figures. Cover the pythagorean theorem and work on problems that require the student to determine the volume and surface area of various objects.
Introduce the student to algebraic problem solving. Explain that there is a big difference between arithmetical problem solving, which the student has practiced up until now, and algebraic problem solving, which he will need to learn in algebra. Describe algebraic problem solving as a different way of thinking.
Help the student understand that unlike arithmetical problem solving, algebraic problems have more than one possible answer. Explain that algebraic problems take a set of variables and establish equations that can then be filled with exact numbers to reveal the constant relationship between the variables. Help the student think beyond finding a single mathematical answer to a given set of variables to writing equations that set the variables in relationship to each other and allow multiple mathematical solutions to emerge depending on the value of specific variables entered into the equation.