The short answer
Find out which kind of stuck it is — a gap in earlier work, a misunderstood instruction, tiredness, or fear of getting it wrong — because the four need completely different responses. Stop the session before it turns into a fight.
“I can’t do this” is almost never a statement about the exercise on the page. It is worth a minute to find out what it actually means before responding.
The four kinds of stuck
- A gap underneath. The current work depends on something earlier that was never solid. Going over today’s exercise again will not help; going back will.
- The instruction. The child can do the mathematics but cannot tell what is being asked. Ask them to explain the question back to you in their own words — this one shows up immediately.
- Capacity. Tired, hungry, or has already concentrated hard for two hours. Nothing is wrong with the work or the child.
- Fear of being wrong. The child would rather not attempt it than attempt it and fail. This is the one that looks most like laziness and is furthest from it.
Stop before it becomes a fight
Once a session has turned into a battle, nothing further is learned and something is lost. Stopping is not giving in — “let us leave this and come back after lunch” is a legitimate teaching decision, and it is one a classroom teacher rarely gets to make.
Watch for a pattern
One difficult afternoon is an afternoon. The same subject collapsing every week is information — write down what happened and when, and bring it to the community or to the school. A pattern is something that can be worked with.
Ask
The parent forums are full of families who have had exactly this week. Post what happened and which of the four it looks like to you.