With the onslaught of various kinds of math – Q-Math, Abacus Math, Vedic Math-  we would think that our kids would love the subject. Sadly, a lot of kids still do have the dreaded math phobia. My daughter had it,  and it baffled me because I didn’t know what was causing it. Toward the middle of her fifth grade, it was so bad that she hated the word “math” and would do anything to avoid doing it!

Turned out, it was just bad teaching at school and she was slowly but surely developing the notion that if she didn’t get it, there was something wrong with her. It wasn’t until I bought her books of every curriculum of her grade and worked on each concept with her that she was finally able to overcome her fear.

A lot of children struggle with learning math and usually feel stuck, helpless and are unable to wrap their heads around basic concepts.

Dana Jandhyala from MySchoolPage brings on some great tips on how to reduce a child’s phobia and transform it into eager math engagement.

7 Ways to beat Math phobia

1. Prevent Your Child’s Math Anxiety if Possible

You can prevent a lot of math anxiety by simply creating a positive math environment. But in some cases, there may be other problems other than your child’s environment that you may need to consider.

If your child has a small problem then an early solution is best. Help your child get proper assistance to prevent any math anxiety in the future.

Simply strengthening your child’s learning abilities will help reduce and relieve them of his math  phobia and anxiety.

2. Have a Positive Attitude towards Math

Having a negative attitude towards anything is bound to show and affect your performance with it. Try and understand some of the concepts that your child is struggling with to help them better understand them. Don’t get annoyed if your child is still unable to grasp the concept and has a lot of questions, make sure to remain calm and explain the concepts to him to the best of your ability.

As a parent, you can easily beat math phobia by developing a positive attitude towards math by speaking of it in a positive manner as well as making your approach towards it more positive.

Also Read: Stress in children: Why we need to empower our children to develop a healthy relationship to stress

3. Demonstrate the Usefulness of Learning Math

Don’t exaggerate the importance of having mathematics skills to your child in an obvious manner but make sure to involve your child in making your day-to-day calculations. Allow him to calculate basic things like the cab fare, grocery bill and getting back the adequate amount of change.

4. Practice with Your Child

Developing your child’s math skills is best done with regular practice. Practice the multiplication tables along with basic adding and subtracting when spending time with your child. Practice math problems with them in a fun and interesting way that will keep them engaged. Make it a game of speed over time.

Simply strengthening your child’s learning abilities will help reduce and relieve them of his math phobia and anxiety.You can teach them how to focus more on their work and turn their negative attitude into a positive one through some basic coaching tips. If this is out of your depth, you should look into how to help your child focus with Daniel Wong’s coaching program which is aimed at any child lacking motivation and discipline.

5. Encourage Questions

When your child has any questions regarding a problem that he may be facing in math don’t just turn him away but ask him on how he intends to solve the problem. Don’t be too hasty in helping them out as this will create a sense of dependency. Give your child a chance to work it out as this will allow his confidence to grow.

6. Help Your Child Learn Math

Make your child understand that mistakes are bound to happen even when he is learning math along with other aspects of his life. You should encourage your child to view his mistakes as learning opportunities instead.

7. Remediate but Allow them to Study in a Comfortable Manner

It is best to keep on remediating any areas of weakness in our children. Practice makes perfect is a saying that goes perfectly with math. Over time, you can gradually begin to introduce technology that will help them in their areas of weakness.

Also Read: New School?  7 Effective Ways to Help Your Child Transition Seamlessly

Here are some accommodations you can make for your child

  • Let them work in short sessions with regular breaks.
  • Encourage your child to get up and move around while studying.
  • Encourage your child to talk when solving problems.
  • Allot extra time for tests.
  • Allow them to use a calculator when there is no test of computation.
  • Let them use a math fact chart.

If your child is having difficulty with math,  then this problem can usually be best solved with private one-on-one tutoring before it turns into math phobia.  You can opt for an online tutoring as an online math tutor can give your child direct one-on-one tutoring that will help him get over his math phobia from the comfort of his own home.

This article originally appeared on Buzzing Bubs.