Parents often help with homework, but sometimes even the most diligent adults find themselves stumped by their children’s school assignments. A few parents recently took to social media to share puzzling questions from their kids’ homework that had them scratching their heads, only to be saved by the insightful (and sometimes humorous) advice of Reddit and Twitter users. Here are seven examples of tricky homework questions that left parents reaching out for help.

1. First Grade English Homework

One mom found herself baffled by a seemingly simple English assignment for her first-grader. Her child was supposed to circle pictures that shared the same ending sound as the word “fin.” However, the choices didn’t exactly make the connection easy. The options included a hamburger bun, a frog, a jar lid, and a spoon.

To her relief, some Reddit users offered suggestions, pointing out that the ending sound didn’t necessarily have to rhyme with “fin” but could match the sound. The community concluded that “bun” and “spoon” might work since they both end in the “n” sound, though not without some debate.

2. Kindergarten Mystery Word

Kindergarten worksheets are usually straightforward, often needing only a parent’s guidance. However, one parent was left puzzled by a three-letter word required to name an image on their child’s activity sheet. The picture showed a rabbit with her baby bunnies, but the three-letter word remained elusive.

Thankfully, a helpful Redditor suggested “pet” as a suitable answer. They explained that these worksheets sometimes try to make things challenging by having kids focus on different letter sounds. This little trick often aims to challenge the child’s phonetic awareness but can also stump the parents trying to help.

3. Third-Grade Math Riddle

While math problems for elementary students are usually based on simple calculations, one third-grader’s question had a twist that left people puzzled. The assignment read, “Janell had 15 marbles. She lost some of them. How many does Janell have now?”

Parents took to Reddit for help, and one user humorously suggested, “Less than 15,” noting that it didn’t seem fair to ask this of a third-grader without more specifics. Others chimed in with creative responses like, “Janell lost her marbles,” or simply, “She has some left.” The consensus seemed to be that this question might be better suited for creative thinking than strict arithmetic.

4. A Six-Year-Old’s Confusing Visual Puzzle

Another mom was left perplexed by her six-year-old’s homework, which featured a picture of a paint splatter surrounded by apples. The question asked, “How many apples could be covered by the paint? There cannot be more than 20.”

Reddit users also found this one confusing, with some suggesting it might be a riddle rather than a math problem. One user offered the idea that it might be a test of spatial reasoning, but in the end, no one seemed entirely sure of the correct answer.

5. First-Grade Math from Singapore

Math problems can be challenging, but one first-grade question from Singapore truly stumped parents—and Twitter. It was a logic-based question meant for young students but seemed advanced even for adults. One Twitter user shared the problem online, leading to a mix of confused replies and some creative reworking of the question itself. Although one person was able to solve it with a small tweak, the problem left most people questioning how first-graders could handle such complex logic.

6. Another Math Problem Stumps Twitter

Math seemed to be the source of many parents’ frustrations. Another Twitter user shared a question that required calculating the perimeter of one shape based on measurements from another, rectilinear shape. This indirect approach left users scratching their heads, wondering if the problem was appropriate for the student’s age group. One response sarcastically read, “It’s very much justified to ask this of a [ten-year-old],” suggesting the complexity might be a bit excessive for elementary-level students.

7. The Complicated “Solve for X” Problem

Some math questions are so intricate that they generate debates even among adults, and this one was no exception. The question read: “An orchestra of 120 players takes 40 minutes to play Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. How long would it take for 60 players to play the symphony? Let P be the number of players and T be the time playing.”

Many people on Twitter attempted to answer, but one user pointed out that the problem was flawed. “The math is irrelevant in the case of this Beethoven 9 problem,” they wrote. “As a performer who has done it many times, the speed of the symphony is NOT a function of the number of musicians performing it.” This insight added a new layer of understanding, revealing that sometimes, the context of a question matters as much as the math itself.

The Power of Online Communities for Homework Help

As these examples show, parents today face their own educational challenges when helping with their kids’ homework. And when Google searches fail, platforms like Reddit and Twitter can serve as valuable resources. Communities on these platforms offer a blend of support, humor, and practical advice that helps parents tackle even the most confusing homework questions.

While these questions may seem lighthearted, they highlight a larger issue: today’s curriculum is constantly evolving, and assignments that emphasize critical thinking sometimes blur the line between challenging and confusing. For now, parents have the online community to help them navigate these puzzling assignments, and hopefully, educators will continue to find ways to make learning both challenging and clear.