Is your kid facing Math Anxiety? Easy ways to help your kid

Math anxiety is much more than a dislike for the subject—it’s a real problem for students, one that blocks the brain’s working memory. Does math make you a nervous? Don't worry It is very common 

About 30% of high school students reported that they felt “helpless” when doing mathematics problems. For many people, math fears can be traced back to elementary school, and specifically, to timed tests and forced memorization, says SFU professor “Neuro scientists have shown recently that for people with math anxiety, a fear center lights up in their brain — the same as when they see snakes and spiders — and the problem- solving center of the brain shuts down.

Tears or anger might signal anxiety, especially if they appear only during math. Students with math anxiety tend to be very hard on themselves and work under the harmful and false assumption and starts a self-perpetuating cycle of math avoidance, low achievement, and fear. 

But what can parents do to improve kids’ attitudes towards math? SVP at Sesame Workshop, has some great tips. She says math is everywhere–it’s embedded in everything we do. So with a little awareness, by sharing everyday activities, playing and interacting with your child, you can familiarize them with math concepts without undue pressure. Here are Four things to keep in mind if you are helping your child through math anxiety.

 

1. Play Math Games with board games, card games, puzzles, and more. Provide students with time to understand the why? Research has shown that when parents just play, they’re actually really, really good at pulling out these deep concepts from children — much better than even teachers. Blocks, puzzles, card games and even video games all have some research support. And board games are particular stars in this area. Research has shown that the more kids play any game with dice and numbered squares — like Chutes and Ladders — the better their basic math skills get.

2. Discuss About Math when you’re sharing everyday activities.  Children who are successful in math have parents who point out math even in the most ordinary moments. For example,  “You ask them to put their books away. It doesn’t fit? Why doesn’t it fit? Maybe the book is too tall? Too big?” Not only are you introducing the concept of measurements, but you’re also introducing a math process: problem solving.

 Similarly, you can sing a song together, faster and then slower. “These are relational concepts — math words related to rhythm.” Or try setting the table: Have them guess the right number of forks and then check. Look out for visual patterns. “Get kids to look and think — we can see patterns in fence posts, in flowers.” As children get older, the possibilities expand. Calendars, timers, money, maps, drawing, measuring, crafts…these are all chances to talk math.

3. Use healthy and accurate messages and go beyond Right and Wrong answers. One thing parents not to do is to become the teacher in the house. Avoid constantly quizzing your children or marching them through their homework, and put away the flashcards. When we play with our friends we’re not constantly asking them: ‘What’s this shape?'” Instead, ask real, open-ended questions. Say you and your child are sitting at a round table. You could ask, “What’s the shape of this table?” But, you already know the answer, and your kids know that you know.

Two better questions “Why did you choose the circle for our table?” or “How do you know this table is round?”

 These are good questions for several reasons. First, they are authentic. Parents are naturally interested in both what their children know and how they think. Open-ended questions can start real conversations that bring you and your children closer together. Second, they prompt children to describe their thinking out loud. This gets them thinking about their own thinking process, a key skill known as “Meta cognition.” It gets them discussing and reflecting on the properties of shapes, for example. “It’s going to make them look at that circle one more time and to say; this feels curvy and the other one feels sharp on the edge.” The third reason that open-ended questions are a good idea? They don’t have right or wrong answers.

The reason this is important gets back to the roots of math anxiety. Many students can get turned off by math instruction that focuses on high-pressure memorization of facts and formulas. They find it stressful, shallow or both. Researcher recommends instilling a love of math along with a growth mindset; in other words, the insight that it’s possible to improve one’s skills by effort and experience.

4. Allow think time when asking questions Don’t let your math Anxiety hold your kids back. Math anxiety is a real phenomenon all over the world. But it’s not equal opportunity. It’s tied to stereotypes — to race, and especially to gender. Research shows that mothers are prone to pass that feeling on to their kids. That means, we have to check ourselves when we’re talking about math. Researchers agree that we must never tell our kids “I’m bad at math,” “I don’t like math,” or “I didn’t do well in math at your age.” When kids get that message, their math achievement goes down immediately, and that’s shown in particular with mothers and kids. You might have to fake it sometimes, and that’s okay.

 Whether your kids are in preschool stacking blocks or in high school struggling with calculus, home should be a safe place where there’s “no fear in making a mistake,”. That’s basically how children learn.” If you want to drive this lesson home, You can deliberately make a mistake and give your child a chance to correct you. In a bigger sense, for parents with math anxiety, raising kids provides a chance for a do-over. You can try experiencing the world through their eyes: a world that’s made of math and full of wonder.

 

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Thanks to Authors, Researchers and Writers: Mr. J. Boaler, Ms. R. Truglio, Ms. Sudha S., Ms. A Green.