Maths anxiety is real, and it is more widespread than many parents realise. Studies suggest that a significant proportion of school-age children experience negative feelings about the subject, feelings that can hold them back academically and affect their confidence more broadly. The good news is that there is a great deal parents can do at home to shift a child’s relationship with maths, working alongside the support their school provides.
Watch the Language You Use
Phrases like ‘I was never any good at maths either’ are well-meaning but counterproductive. They inadvertently signal that mathematical ability is fixed and passed down like eye colour. Try instead: ‘Maths can be tricky. Let’s have a look at it together.’ This frames the subject as something that responds to effort and practice, rather than a talent you either have or you do not.
Make Maths Visible in Everyday Life
Maths is everywhere, and pointing this out makes it feel relevant rather than abstract. Cooking involves fractions and measurement. Shopping involves percentages and mental arithmetic. Building flat-pack furniture involves geometry and spatial reasoning. When children see maths as a tool they already use every day, the classroom version becomes far less daunting.
Focus on Understanding Over Speed
Many children become anxious about maths because they believe they are supposed to work quickly. Speed is not the same as understanding. A child who can explain why they arrived at an answer understands the mathematics far better than one who produces a correct result without being able to reason through it. Praise the explanation, not just the answer.
Use Online Resources Alongside Your Child
There are excellent free resources available, from Khan Academy to BBC Bitesize. But use them with your child rather than handing over a device and hoping for the best. Sitting alongside your child and working through problems together sends a clear message: maths is worth taking seriously, and you believe they can improve.
Know When to Ask for Help
If your child is consistently struggling and becoming distressed about maths, speak to their teacher sooner rather than later. Forward-thinking independent schools often have strong support structures in place, including one-to-one catch-up sessions, subject clinics, and targeted intervention for students who would benefit from additional input. A timely conversation can make an enormous difference.
Finally, be honest with your child that even adults find some topics difficult. Normalising the experience of finding something hard, while also modelling the determination to keep trying, is one of the most powerful things a parent can do.
Halliford School, an independent day school in Shepperton, Surrey, offers a nurturing environment and strong academic support across all subjects from Year 7 through to Sixth Form. To learn more about their approach to learning and pastoral care, visit https://www.hallifordschool.co.uk/.
This post was written in partnership with Halliford School, an independent school in Shepperton, Surrey, providing exceptional education and outstanding pastoral support for pupils aged 11 to 18.