Facing the Fear: Supporting Your Child Through Maths Anxiety
For many children, maths can be a source of great excitement—but for others, it sparks worry, frustration, or even fear. This is known as maths anxiety, a genuine emotional response that can significantly affect how children learn and feel about mathematics. Well-known Australian educator Eddie Woo reminds us that maths anxiety isn’t a reflection of a child’s intelligence, but of their emotional response to the subject.
What is Maths Anxiety?
Research shows that even children as young as six can experience maths anxiety. Signs may include a reluctance to do maths homework, negative self-talk (“I’m not a maths person”), or even physical symptoms like stomach-aches before a test.
The AISNSW Numeracy Project has been guiding schools, including ours, towards teaching that focuses on deep understanding over rote procedures. Their research highlights that when students see maths as a meaningful and connected discipline, their confidence grows and anxiety decreases.
What Can Parents Do?
The good news is that parents play a crucial role in shaping their child’s attitude toward maths. Here are some strategies that align with current research and our approach:
- Focus on Mathematical Thinking, Not Just the Answer - Encourage your child to explain how they solved a problem. This builds reasoning skills and helps them see that maths is about thinking, not just speed.
- Embrace Mistakes as Learning Opportunities - Mistakes are a vital part of learning. Praise your child’s effort and perseverance rather than perfection.
- Connect Maths to Everyday Life - Show how maths is all around us—when measuring ingredients, reading timetables, or estimating how many apples fit in a bag. Real-world maths makes learning relevant and less intimidating.
- Be a Positive Role Model - Try to avoid saying things like “I was never good at maths.” Even casual comments like this can send powerful messages to children. Instead, model curiosity: “Let’s work it out together.”
- Access Helpful Resources - Many schools also use hands-on tools and visual models to support understanding—ask your child to show you how they’re learning at school.
At PAC, we’re committed to evidence-based approaches that foster deep mathematical thinking. Through our work with the AISNSW Numeracy Project, we’re continually learning how to best support our students to become confident, capable mathematicians. With your support at home, we can turn maths anxiety into maths confidence, one step at a time. If you’re ever unsure how to support your child in maths, please reach out to your child’s teacher.
Book Parade
A big thank you to our amazing library staff for organising such a wonderful Book Parade on Wednesday! Your hard work and enthusiasm made the event a true celebration of reading. It was fantastic to see so many creative and imaginative costumes—our students really brought their favourite characters to life! We’d also like to acknowledge the fantastic support of our parents, whose time, effort, and creativity helped bring those costumes to life. Your involvement made a big difference and added to the colour and excitement of the day.
Events like these play such an important role in fostering a love for reading. They inspire our students to explore new stories, connect with characters, and experience the joy that books can bring.
