Fighting Back Against Math Anxiety
Math is a subject that kids either seem to enjoy or dread. As students progress up through the grades and math classes get harder, they may develop anxiety about their abilities. This anxiety can shake their confidence and affect their focus, performance, and memory when completing assignments or taking tests. There are many ways you can work with your child to overcome math anxiety and boost their self-esteem.
Recognize that No One is Inherently “Bad” at Math
A lot of students are under the false impression that you are either good or bad at math. This often starts at a young age. However, anyone can improve their math skills with practice and hard work. Everyone learns at their own speed and in their own way, so avoid comparing one child’s progress to another’s.
Consider your own attitude about math as well. If you are constantly saying you’re not good at math or you don’t understand “new math,” then that can influence your child’s attitude. It’s okay to say that you aren’t sure how to do something, or you don’t remember, but then try to work through it together. Look back in their textbook, review their notes and examples, use other resources, and have them try to explain what they’ve learned so far.
Keep Practicing
Math is a topic that builds on itself. The skills your child learned in elementary school will come into play in middle school, and their middle school classes will help them in high school. It is important to develop a strong foundation so they can keep expanding on that as they get into more advanced courses.
Look for ways you can practice in daily life. Going to the grocery store? Have them help you compare prices or see how many of a certain item you can buy for $10. Which product or promotion is a better deal? If you’re at a restaurant, have them calculate the tip or figure out how much each person would owe if you split the bill. Cooking and baking are great ways to practice as well. There are tons of opportunities to work with multiplication, division, and fraction skills.
Don’t Harp on Mistakes
A lot of students develop anxiety around math because there is usually a right and wrong answer. They become fearful of getting a problem incorrect. Instead of focusing on mistakes, focus on their effort and what they got right. Go back through the problem and look at all the steps they did correctly and what tripped them up so they can learn from their mistakes.
Breaking down problems into steps can help as well. Work through one step at a time and keep practicing until they have it down. Think of creative songs, rhymes, or mnemonic devices to help them remember formulas or processes. For example, when doing order of operations, using PEMDAS or Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally. When working on slope, they have to rise up before they can run for rise over run. Figure out strategies that work for them and make them feel more confident in their abilities.
Get Help Early
If you notice that your child is struggling in class or with a certain concept or skill, don’t put off getting them help. Be proactive and work with their teacher regarding things you can do to support them. Get them into tutoring to reinforce key skills and build a strong foundation so they can be more successful in class.
Crafting Scholars works with your child to see where there are gaps in understanding, identify their strengths and learning style, and create a customized learning plan aligned with their needs. Knowing a variety of strategies and tools and having someone to provide one-on-one support can help them overcome their math anxiety. Contact Crafting Scholars today to reserve your child’s spot!
