As a guy with a university degree in science and math, I recommend using UN-natural language at first. That is, always translate the math symbols into the same English words every time. "times" "equals" "plus" "minus" "divided by". Later on, you could add more natural English wording. "Natural English wording", by the way, is often regional, so if you value British English or American English more, you may want to ask the right speakers. Regarding questions, I'd say usually go with "What's ___?": "What's 3 times five?" It would also be natural to say "3 times five equals ...?" , expecting your child to finish the sentence.