{"id":2117,"date":"2018-04-25T18:40:23","date_gmt":"2018-04-25T18:40:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.studypug.com\/blog\/?p=2117"},"modified":"2024-08-08T18:36:55","modified_gmt":"2024-08-08T18:36:55","slug":"5-simple-tricks-parents-use-to-ease-their-kids-maths-anxiety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blog.studypug.com\/5-simple-tricks-parents-use-to-ease-their-kids-maths-anxiety\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Simple Tricks Parents Use To Ease Their Kid\u2019s Maths Anxiety"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many students across the UK suffer from a <\/span>fear of maths <\/span>or believe that they\u2019re simply not a \u201cmath person\u201d. These thoughts can be incredibly detrimental to their progress and can hinder their ability to perform at their best during <\/span>GCSE maths<\/span><\/a> exams. A student who feels that they don\u2019t have the capacity to learn math, will be less inclined to take the necessary steps to try because they believe that the solution is beyond them. As a parent, there\u2019s a few things you can do at home to dispel the myth of the \u201cmath person\u201d and build their confidence, unlocking their potential and boosting their self-esteem.<\/span><\/p>\n

Understand the problem<\/b><\/h2>\n

What is maths anxiety?<\/span> It is the negative emotional response that occurs when a person is faced with mathematical challenges. The fear and feeling of tension often leads to underperformance, a lack of confidence, and can lead to students falling <\/span>behind in maths<\/span>. \u00a0It\u2019s not an uncommon issue either, It\u2019s thought to affect roughly a quarter of the population with around 2 million students in England alone, feeling some form of maths anxiety.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"troubled<\/p>\n

Much <\/span>maths anxiety research<\/span> has been done and Vinod Menon, a Professor at Stanford University, conducted some tests to uncover the <\/span>brain activity of students who deal with math anxiety<\/span><\/a>. What he found was that the anxiety elicits the same responses found with common phobias, suggesting that students are indeed <\/span>scared of maths<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe same part of the brain that responds to fearful situations, such as seeing a spider or snake, also shows a heightened response in children with high math anxiety\u201d <\/span><\/i>– Vinod Menon, PHD, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences<\/span><\/p>\n

Knowing that there’s an issue and understanding how it can affect your child, can help you to provide better support and encouragement. It\u2019s important to note that if they believe there\u2019s a problem with their ability to understand math, it can act as a self fulfilling prophecy, so continued support and encouragement is needed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Help Them to Relax<\/b><\/h2>\n

As mentioned above, support is key to helping your child combat maths anxiety. You can support them by reminding them to relax and by implementing breathing exercises when they feel overwhelmed. These methods, have proven to be an effective solution in reducing the tension that comes with anxiety. Professor David Sheffield of Derby University, conducted psychological research on the <\/span>effect of relaxation exercises and its effect on maths performance<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe did one study where we got people to do a relaxation exercise and then followed them up. Their anxiety scores had dropped and they were able to solve more problems.” <\/span><\/i>– Professor David Sheffield <\/span><\/p>\n

Another way to help your child to relax is to reassure them that you\u2019ll support them no matter what the outcome. A lot of students feel the pressure to perform well for their parents and this expectation can negatively affect their performances. Similarly, \u00a0perceived stereotypes of maths abilities within specific genders, cultures and races can also affect their performance. This is known as \u201cstereotype threat\u201d and it can induce anxiety during difficult maths questions. The fear of living up to stereotypes or parental expectations, adds an unnecessary level of pressure during your child\u2019s exams. <\/span>For more information on stereotype threat, you can view this <\/span>short video<\/span><\/a>\u00a0below on the subject or read <\/span>Whistling Vivaldi<\/span><\/a> by Claude Steele.<\/span><\/p>\n