Maths Anxiety
Maths Anxiety is the negative emotional or physical response a person gets when they encounter maths. A child or young person might show physical signs of maths anxiety like tummy ache or psychological signs like losing confidence or starting to avoid maths.
Top tips to help with Maths Anxiety at home
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Ensure regular practice happens ‘little and often’
10 minutes of practice every day, is much better than a gruelling 45-minute maths session on a Sunday evening -
Practice only on topics which have been taught already
Homework works best when it follows up on already attempted work. This will be more effective if revised from work done in class on the same day. -
Make maths part of everyday life
Think of ways to incorporate maths learning into everyday activities. For example, shopping activities, begin an understanding of how long activities take or measure steps across a football pitch. -
Make sure maths is interesting and relevant for your child
Board and computer games and even sports contain elements of maths. Make maths fun!
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Don’t pass on your Maths Anxiety
Even if you found maths hard, try not to tell your child you were bad at maths or didn’t like it as this could make them think that it is ok and could increase their Maths Anxiety. -
Allow your child to talk openly about their Maths Anxiety
Getting your child to share and verbalise their feelings about maths is very important, as something can be done to help their struggles if you know about it. -
Teach your child to ask about things they don’t understand
As important in the classroom as it is at home. If your child is not encouraged to ask questions, they may bottle up their anxiety and fear.
