It\u2019s a common experience\u2026 your child sits down to work on math homework but very quickly becomes visibly stressed, frustrated, or upset. For many kids, doing math can seem like a daunting task, even a scary one. And while many do overcome it, some of us carry this math anxiety with us for much of our lives. If you\u2019re looking to help your child reduce their math anxiety, we have a few suggestions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Empathy can go a long way. Whether it\u2019s because you experienced similar struggles as a child or watched someone else struggle, making your child feel like they\u2019re not alone can help ease their stress. When kids hear that others in their lives faced similar challenges it can help them to feel understood and a little more confident to tackle the task in front of them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learning to be ok with making mistakes is distinct from addressing the emotions that bubble up with failure. Once your child is no longer feeling overwhelmed, helping them to feel ok with making mistakes is all about showing them that mistakes are often how learning happens. We often remember our mistakes more clearly than the times we didn\u2019t need to struggle at all. Identifying where we went wrong is one of the best ways to learn how to get to the answer or solution on your own. Understanding the path it took to get something right, means committing to memory the path to success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n