Top tips for helping your child with maths

It can be agreed that many parents around the world come to a point with their child where they find that they are struggling with maths. Without a good support system or resources, this truth can be daunting. But don’t worry! You are not alone. When it comes to children deciding that they do not like maths, it is usually because they find it too difficult or think they are not smart enough to complete it well. Unfortunately, this mentality can lead to a mental block and have a severe impact on their success in this subject. The good news is, there are ways around this that can prevent them getting to this stage, or, help them work their way out of this mindset. The first thing to do is to look at all the potential causes before coming up with a solution. After this, you can look into how you and your child’s tutor can support them with this struggle. Below are some top tips for helping your child with maths. 

Causes: Lacking the basics and increased anxiety

Maths is a subject that cannot be practiced at any level without the acquirement of the basics first. If you have noticed that your child is falling behind in class, chances are, they haven’t solidified their knowledge on the basics first. This usually leads to an imbalance of their foundation in maths and can cause major struggles for your child as they study advanced topics. Eventually, this can lead to or add on high levels of anxiety which will only make the situation seem that much more difficult to them. Symptoms of maths anxiety can include lack of response, low achievement, negative self-talk and emotional reactions. If this is what you have noticed in your child, it is important to take action as soon as possible. 

Make maths fun

One of the easiest ways to engage a child in something that they find difficult, is to make it enjoyable for them. Think about it, riding a bike or learning to swim can be difficult at first, but given the excitement that surrounds and follows these activities, in the eyes of a child, makes the struggle decrease. All it takes is a change in perspective to take maths from something that is hated and feared, to something that could be loved. Given that the pen and paper method doesn’t always work, it is worth getting creative with your plans. Maths is all around us and can be applied to daily activities too. Involve your child in fun and engaging activities like shopping, baking and gardening. Each of these activities will require your child to deal with measurements, time and facts. Indirectly practicing maths can help solidify your child’s knowledge and understanding, with the added benefit of making maths enjoyable too. 

Be positive

One of the biggest mistakes an adult can make when teaching a child, is telling them that they are bad at something. If you ever feel inclined to telling a child that you were also not very good at maths or you don’t see any positive changes occurring anytime soon, stop. This is because you may end up passing maths anxiety onto them by feeding them negative messages about the subject as a whole. Remind them that everyone starts at the same place when it comes to learning. There is nothing wrong with asking for extra help from teachers as it is their job to help your little one succeed. Positive affirmations such as “you may not understand it yet, but I am confident that we can do this together” will make your child feel supported and understood.