Help Children Overcome Their Fear Of Math?

Quite often, children find math to be an extremely difficult and boring subject. If you find that your children face the same problem, you should try to understand the reason behind it and help them out accordingly. In case you are a teacher, it is even more important to understand how you can help your students get over their fear of the subject.

Why do children find math difficult?
Although the fear of math is common among children, the reasons may vary. For a vast number of children having difficulty with math, the most common causes for their difficulty are:

1. 1. Learning concepts without understanding

      Rather often, students learn the math concepts without actually understanding them. They are still able to solve math problems because have memorized the process. However, as they do not know the logic behind it, they would face challenges in solving problems that are slightly different but use the same concept.

   2. Hating the subject

      When children find math to be stressful, they start hating it. Now, it is quite natural to face difficulties in a subject that they do not like. Their distaste for math reduces their efforts towards doing well and prevents them from learning properly. As their performance continues to drop, so would their willingness to try harder.

   3. Lack of practice

      Let’s face it, learning anything properly requires practice and this is especially true in the case of math. When students do not practice solving math problems at home, they naturally start facing difficulties. In many cases, students would watch their teacher solve a problem easily and get overconfident that they do not need any practice.

   4. Learning concepts without understanding

      Math is a subject that always builds on concepts that the students have learned previously. This means that the students first need to learn the underlying concepts properly and develop a solid base for solving more advanced problems. For example, a child who has not learned multiplication properly would face challenges while tackling simplification problems.

How to help children overcome the fear of math?
Thankfully, there are several ways to help children understand math better and get over the fear. Some of the simplest solutions are:

1. Visual representations

   It is much easier to understand math problems when visual representations are available. For example, if a child faces difficulties in understanding multiplication or division, you could use small objects like marbles to clear up the concepts for them.

2. Mental math

   A great way to make the subject fun, easy and interesting for children is to help them learn mental math. When they can solve various smaller problems mentally, they develop a better understanding of the concepts.

3. Patience and practice

   Every child learns at its own pace and teachers or parents should be patient with them. If you notice children facing difficulties with a concept, help them understand it completely before moving on. Also, make them practice again and again to develop their math skills.

Apart from these, you can always make math more fun by implementing math games. By taking a child-friendly approach, you can help them start liking the subject and overcome the difficulties.

Related Links:

• Vedic Mathematics
• Vaidik Ganith