Though math is an important part of life, it can be hard for many.People who feel anxious about math can't do math.You can teach a child with math anxiety or a parent with one.You can help them overcome their fears by encouraging them to think positively about the subject and building their confidence in math.
Step 1: Speak to the child.
Find out how they feel about math.Your child may have gotten a poor grade on a math test or homework sheet, but you don't know about it.Talk to them about their concerns.To see what you can do to help, go through their worries one by one.One of your child's worries is that their teacher will think they are stupid if they get an answer wrong.Students get questions wrong all the time and teachers are there to help, so tell your child that.
Step 2: Either tutor them or hire a tutor.
One way to help a child overcome their math anxiety is to give them more training in the subject.The child might be struggling to grasp the concepts in the classroom, but with a bit of outside help, they could perform well.They can get some after school tutoring.When possible, one on one is the best.You can work with them individually after school if you are their parent.If your child is having trouble learning math through traditional methods, you should consider hiring a tutor who specializes in teaching math in unconventional ways.
Step 3: They should be told to take notes.
The student might be feeling anxious because they don't know how to complete the math they are assigned.Your child might feel lost if they are not allowed to bring home their textbooks.They should be encouraged to take notes in class and to copy their teacher's tips.They can use these to study.Encourage them to review their notes daily even if they don't have a test or homework.
Step 4: Encourage them to be patient.
If they become stressed, teach them how to breathe.They feel overwhelmed and this will calm them down.When students are frustrated or trying to rush, there are many mistakes made on math problems.Discuss the importance of pacing yourself.
Step 5: Teach them at their own pace.
Don't move on to the next lesson until you have grasped the first lesson.If you are a teacher, you might need to give the student one on one time after class to keep them caught up so that the class as a whole doesn't have to move at a slower pace.Don't move on to the next problem until they understand the work you have just done.Some kids may be more language-oriented than others when it comes to math skills.Let them know that it's okay to have other strengths, and that they should focus on finding a learning method that works best for them.
Step 6: Take breaks when necessary.
The student should take breaks so that they don't get upset with math.Give them a five minute bathroom break if they start to get overwhelmed.Give them a snack or a cup of water.Allow them to take a break from the subject.
Step 7: They need to have the tools to succeed.
Some students can learn from numbers on paper, but others need more than that.They may need visual aids.When possible, incorporate these into your lessons.There are online math lessons that can be used to simplify concepts and present them in an engaging way.If you find a way to help a concept click, bookmark it.You will be able to find similar ones in the future.
Step 8: They made mistakes and should be valued.
When they give an incorrect response to a problem, don't say "Wrong!" if you are their teacher.Ask if anyone else got that answer.Who got different results from that student?There are many wrong answers in the room.Help them grow past their mistakes and know that they are not the only person making them.The problem-solving process is more important than the final answers.Help the student find the mistake when they get an incorrect answer.Reward them when they find it.
Step 9: The emphasis should be on timed assignments.
Testing is important in today's school systems, but the ultimate goal should be to train students who are confident in and capable of doing math.Frequent testing and pop quizzes are not recommended.Encouraging learning and application of knowledge is what the focus should be.When possible, assign take home tests.Students need more time to complete in-class assignments.Don't rush them to finish their homework if you are a parent.Do not make this time more difficult for them.
Step 10: Talk about math in a positive manner.
Talk to them about the beauty of math.Teaching them that math can be fun will help them feel less anxious about it.
Step 11: You should not spread your own math anxiety to them.
Comments like "I'm not good at math, either" and "You are not going to help them at all" can make a child anxious.If you're not sure how to solve a problem, don't panic, make comments like "We are going to figure this out together."You can invite the student to look at other resources with you.You could say, "Hmmmm, I'm not sure I understand this problem either."Maybe we can find a better explanation online, your teacher's explanation is hard for me to understand.Will you help me look?
Step 12: Don't read the material until you understand.
Take some time each day to learn the math that your child is doing so that you can help them succeed in math.You can review it ahead of your child if you contact their teacher to find out what they will be learning.
Step 13: Explain the importance of math.
When shopping, cooking, and calculating time, math is used.Your child will never know when they need to use that particular form of math in adult life, even though the math your child is learning right now might not seem to have much real world application.It is important to stress this fact to him or her.It's a good idea to incorporate math into daily activities.You can have your child calculate coupon discounts or change at the supermarket.Work with recipes for fractions.This is a great way to work with mathematics.Allow your child to calculate the new measurements after Halve a recipe.
Step 14: Let math be fun.
If you're a teacher, make jokes, games, cartoon characters, or animals into homework sheets.If you are trying to give your child some assistance, you can also do this.Use bright colored paper or pencils.They can play computer math games on their phone.There is a group game called MathDice that is great for teaching math basics.Discuss flexible and interesting math with older children.Talk about the things that math has allowed us to do.We would not have been able to travel to the moon if it weren't for math.
Step 15: Incentives are provided when they do well.
Reward your child if they show progress or hard work.Buy them something small that they want or take them for ice cream.Don't promise things in advance.They might feel more pressure to achieve.