What if I suggested that you could have your child move from proclaiming that, “I’m not a Maths Person” to “I’m a Maths Learner”!
With the help that we received from our recent parent workshop with the Maths Pathway team, I am here to share with you that this is absolutely a real possibility for you and your child and that you really can help a homeschooled child with maths anxiety.
Let’s be honest, we’ve all felt that little knot of stress or dread when it comes to maths lessons. It’s called maths anxiety, and it’s a very real thing that affects adults and children alike. But what if we told you that overcoming this anxiety and fostering a love for mathematics might be simpler than you think?
In a recent parent workshop with the team from Maths Pathway, they shared some incredible insights and practical strategies for transforming our mindset around mathematics. If you’d rather read than watch, here are the key takeaways to help your child (and maybe even yourself!) on the path to maths confidence.
The Secret Power of a Growth Mindset
The single most powerful message from the workshop is that a growth mindset is everything. This is the belief that your brain can grow and change, and that your abilities aren’t fixed. You aren’t “born with it” or “not a maths person.” With effort and dedication, you can absolutely get better at maths. This is the key to helping a homeschooled child with maths anxiety.
This is in direct opposition to a fixed mindset, where you believe your intelligence is static. When a student has a fixed mindset, they’ll often avoid challenges, give up quickly, and see mistakes as proof of failure.
The key to remember here. It’s not about being smart; it’s about putting in the effort.
The “Learning Pit” and Why Struggle Is Good
Have you ever seen your child get frustrated and say, “I don’t get it!” and want to give up? The workshop introduced a concept called “The Learning Pit,” which beautifully normalises this struggle.
The idea is that when we learn something new, we often start by thinking we understand it. Then we hit a point of confusion, this is the “pit.” It feels frustrating, but it’s actually where the real learning happens. It’s a sign that your brain is building new connections. The goal isn’t to avoid the pit, but to work our way out of it and have that “aha!” moment on the other side.
As parents, our role isn’t to save our kids from the struggle, but to encourage them through it.
The Language We Use Matters
What we say to our children has a huge impact on their mindset. Here’s a quick guide to shifting your language:
- Avoid: “I was never good at maths.” This sends the message that it’s genetic.
- Try instead: “I never really worked hard at it, and I wish I had!”
- Avoid: “You’re so smart!” This can make children feel like they don’t need to try and that their intelligence is a fixed trait.
- Try instead: “I am so proud of the effort you put in to solve that problem!” This praises the process, not the person.
By focusing on effort and strategies, we teach them that success is earned, not just given.
Making Maths a Part of Everyday Life
Mathematics doesn’t have to be limited to a textbook. The best way to reduce anxiety and build confidence is to make it fun, low-pressure, and relevant.
- Play Games: Board games and card games are packed with maths concepts like probability, logic, and patterns.
- Get Cooking: Baking and cooking are fantastic for learning about fractions, ratios, and measurements.
- Go Shopping: At the supermarket, talk about the “best buy” by comparing unit prices or calculating discounts.
- Build and Create: Activities like construction, building with blocks, or gardening involve spatial awareness and measurement.
The more your child sees maths as a useful, joyful part of their life, the more their motivation will become intrinsic.
The Science Behind How Our Brains Learn
The workshop also delved into the neuroscience of learning, highlighting four key pillars:
- Attention: Make sure your child has a distraction free environment to truly focus.
- Active Engagement: Don’t just watch a lesson actually do the problems. Passive learning is largely ineffective, especially for maths.
- Error for Feedback: Mistakes are a prerequisite for learning. Teach your child to use them as feedback to grow.
- Consolidation: Sleep is critical Your brain moves new learning from short term to long term memory while you sleep. Aim for 8-10 hours for teens..
The workshop also touched on the importance of using formative assessment, short, frequent, and specific feedback over high-stakes tests.
Incorporating all of the options shared in the parent workshop into your daily routine will go a long way towards helping a homeschooled child with maths anxiety.
If you want to dive deeper into these concepts and hear the full discussion from the Maths Pathway experts, you can watch the video right here! It’s a great resource for any parent looking to unlock their child’s full math potential.
The workshop references many great books, resources and tools. The team have collated a PDF for you to download. This can be accessed from our community.
Thanks to the team from Maths Pathway for providing this helpful and informative session with our community. To find out more about Maths Pathway, see their detailed listing in our Homeschool Resource Directory
