Help your child overcome Math anxiety.
Can you remember what Maths was like for you, back in the day?
Chances are you either loved it, or you hated it! Chances are you can probably still remember that awesome teacher who made it all click. Or that atrocious teacher who completely butchered the subject for you! Whether or not you struggled with Math anxiety, if your child is finding maths tough – this may be the reason!
So many children are filled with terror as they consider the subject of Maths: The fear of failure. Fear of being ridiculed in front of the class if they get the answer wrong. The panic that comes from feeling like they’re going to run out of time in a test. So many children struggle with Math anxiety – we have to do something about it!
If you have toddlers, you may think: Well, this isn’t something I have to really worry about till my child’s in school. But research is showing that children as young as 6 years old already have Math anxiety. So, Mama, if you can do anything to prevent your child from it, now is the time!
If your child has Math anxiety, let me just tell you, there is SO much hope for them! But it’s going to take some effort and time to overcome those negative experiences and feelings. And replace them with a better way.
Is Math Anxiety really a thing?
Math anxiety is actually a thing! And it really does impact a child’s ability to perform in the subject! We’ll get to the causes and impact in a bit.
Identifying it earlier, as with anything, means we can intervene earlier. So how would you know if your child has Math anxiety?
Some key indicators are: poor performance, negative attitude towards Maths, avoidance, negative beliefs about themselves and typical anxiety symptoms when faced with Maths, especially in tests (for example, heart racing, shakiness, nausea, breathing fast, biting nails.)
So, you may not hear your child say, “I’m so anxious when I have to do Maths.”
But you may hear things like:
- I hate Maths! I can’t stand my teacher!
- I’ll never be good enough to do well in Maths!
- I just can’t do this sum; I give up! (Throws book across room and stomps out.)
- I don’t see the point – where am I going to use this in the real world anyway
You may not see any typical anxiety symptoms but you may see avoidance of doing Maths work, being easily distracted, day dreaming. (Yeah! Some of those look like attention problems!)
And then you may just have to have an honest conversation with your child to find out where they’re at. How do they really feel about Maths and their ability to do it? Having that openness is crucial for helping your child get through it!
What causes Math Anxiety?
What most of the research has found is that Math anxiety stems primarily from two places:
- Negative experiences of Maths
- Negative perceptions of Maths that are passed on and internalised.
Experiences that have the biggest impact include the teaching style of the teacher, the lack of support in the classroom, a past experience of feeling ridiculed for answering a question incorrectly in class, not being able to finish a test in time or performing poorly in the past. These experiences lead your child to feel afraid of Maths, like they won’t succeed and just aren’t good enough. That’s a lot of fear for a little person to be carrying!
As far as negative perceptions of Maths go, I hear this all the time from parents: “Well, I was never good at Maths / I hated Maths – it’s genetic you know!” If your child has heard words like these from you, they’ve very likely taken those beliefs as their own – before they even enter the Maths classroom and see for themselves.
The problem with Math anxiety is that it creates a cycle that perpetuates poor performance:
How does Math Anxiety affect my child’s ability to do Maths?
So listen to this: Math anxiety is more often about the child’s perception of Maths and their ability than their actual ability to do Maths. That means that your child might actually be able to excel at this subject, if it weren’t for the anxiety holding them back!
And it’s all in their head – literally! The reason Math anxiety affects your child’s ability to do Maths is because of the impact it has on various parts of the brain. Let’s simplify it as much as we can:
High anxiety activates parts of the brain used for emotion and for that fight-or-flight response (the amygdala). So that means the parts used for mathematical processing and attention are less activated. Your child’s brain is more focussed on the fear and anxiety, than on taking in, processing and storing the info they’re learning!
You can see how that may be a problem when it comes to learning new concepts, remembering and applying them!
The other part of the the brain’s functioning that is directly affected is the working memory. Your working memory holds information temporarily until you’re ready to use it or store it. Kids with great working memory tend to do really well at Maths because there is often quite a bit of info and many numbers to “hold onto” while you’re deciding what to do with them. So, if their working memory isn’t functioning optimally because they’re anxious, even if they KNOW what to do with all those numbers, they can’t actually do it.(This is why your child does so well when they’re practicing with you or doing work in class (less pressure and anxiety) and flunks out in their test (high pressure and anxiety!)
Is there a way to prevent Math Anxiety?
So, as I said earlier – studies are showing that children as young as 6 years old are experiencing Maths anxiety and they’ve only just started learning maths in the classroom, right!?
Not quite! Learning Maths concepts starts MUCH younger – counting, patterns, shapes, numbers, symbols. All this starts when they’re toddlers!
So if we intervene early in the way we teach our toddlers Maths concepts we can set them up for success.
Here are some keys ways to prevent Maths anxiety:
- Create a nurturing learning environment.
- Express positive attitudes towards Maths.
- Make Maths a fun and enjoyable thing.
- Develop a healthy perception of success, focus on achieving your potential, doing your best and learning from mistakes.
- Develop a healthy self-concept – build their self confidence and positive self-talk.
Toddlers are SO impressionable!! As a mom, parent, teacher, caregiver you have to be aware of EVERY word that comes out of your mouth – even about YOURSELF and YOUR abilities and perceptions! You are their role model – they want to be you! So whatever you speak over yourself they will speak over themselves! (Eek! That’s a reality-check!)
How can I help my child overcome Math Anxiety?
So this is probably why you’re here, right – what can you do, as a mom, to help your child get through this!?
Some stuff you can control, some you can’t! What goes down in the classroom is sometimes REALLY tough to control. The teacher, his/her teaching style, how fun or caring they are, the size of the class and the amount of personal attention and feedback given in the classroom – those are beyond your control. The negative attitudes of peers, how they treat a child in the class who asks a “stupid question” or gets answer wrong – beyond your control.
So, you control and influence what you CAN.
1 – Check yourself
What do you think about maths? Are your negative attitudes and words about Maths being transferred to your child?
2 – Replace negative self-talk in your child.
Speak the right words into the situations you can, show them how to do the same – it’s a slow but powerful process.
3 – Highlight your child’s successes
Yes, every little one! Take note of every question they get right. Show them that they may have received a poor mark on Section A but did really well in Section B.
4 – Show them how Maths is applicable in the real world.
(I think I need to do a post on that actually!) From knitting and home DIY to accounting and statistics in the sporting and corporate world – you need Maths knowledge and skills for everything! Not to mention the critical thinking, analysis and interpretation skills you learn from just doing Maths.
5 – Help them improve their performance.
If they have gaps in their understanding of concepts – those gaps must be closed. Maths is a developmental subject, building layer upon layer every year, throughout the year. If your child missed a concept in Grade 1, it’s going to impact their learning later on too, until that gap is closed!
6 – Help them realize what they can and cannot control.
Knowing what you can and cannot control is key. Once your child knows what they CAN control they can take ownership of those things and learn how to let go of the things that are beyond their control
7 – Help them to reframe anxiety.
It’s not always as scary or as bad as you perceive it! Get them to write it down – what they’re afraid of, why they hate Maths so much, what negative experiences they’ve had. And then talk through those. Acknowledge the bad experiences – feel with your child. Look at those worries critically – are they really founded? Then make a list of things that they can control and what they can do to change things!
8 – Teaching them some classic anxiety coping strategies
There are many different physical coping strategies for managing through anxious situation. Breathing exercises are something simple your child can be trained to do when they start to feel anxious so they can work through it more effectively!
9 – Equip them to prepare well.
Teach and encourage your child to stay organized and on top of their work through the year. Make sure homework get completed on time and they have everything they need for each day. Help them learn how to study effectively for tests and exams. And develop some good test taking strategies too. Good preparation will increase your child’s sense of autonomy and control over the subject and this will decrease their anxiety!
10 – Get some help.
So maybe Maths isn’t your forte. And you do hate it! And it’s a horrible fight every time you try to help your child. Don’t wreck your relationship – just get a tutor! Someone who knows what they’re doing, is caring and patient, and can spend the time building your child’s Maths ability and their self-confidence!
There’s always hope for your kiddos!
The most amazing thing with Maths I have noticed over the years, is that the battle is won or lost in the mind! If a child believes they can’t succeed, they don’t!
So if there’s only ONE thing you take away from this post, it should be this: Help your child BELIEVE they CAN do it!
Every child has potential – even if they have learning challenges and barriers – all we want for our kids is for them to reach that potential and for nothing to hold them back from achieving it!
Links to resources used for this post:
- https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/system/files/downloads/5.6_what_is_maths_anxiety_handout.pdf
- https://www.oxfordlearning.com/what-is-math-anxiety/
- https://kids.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/frym.2017.00057
- https://www.prodigygame.com/main-en/blog/math-anxiety/
- https://youtu.be/NgT4OGq1ntU
I would love to connect with you and hear all about how I can support and equip you to help your child succeed! I’d love to include you in this community of Mommies as we support each other and grow together to become the best moms we can be!
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