Noooli Learn
How to Help Your Child With Maths When You Are Not a Maths Person
Not confident with maths? Research shows how parents' maths anxiety can affect children, and practical steps any parent can use to help at home.
Read the guideKey points
A parent's worries about maths can pass to children. One study found this happened when maths-anxious parents helped often with homework, not when they helped rarely [1].
How you help matters more than how good you are at maths. Calm language, patience with mistakes and short sessions all make a difference.
Everyday maths, such as cooking, shopping and time, builds confidence without worksheets.
Answer keys and worked examples let you check work accurately without needing to teach the method yourself.
Many Australian parents feel uneasy when their child brings home maths homework. Perhaps maths was a struggle at school, or methods have changed since then. The good news is that you do not need to be confident at maths to support your child well. This guide explains what the research says and what you can do.
What is maths anxiety?
Maths anxiety is a feeling of tension or worry when dealing with numbers or maths problems. It is common in adults and children, and it is not the same as low ability. Many people who feel anxious about maths are capable of doing it.
The concern for families is that these feelings do not always stay with the adult.
Can parents pass maths anxiety to their children?
A study published in Psychological Science in 2015 followed 438 children in their first and second years of school in the United States (roughly Year 1 and Year 2 in Australia), along with their primary caregivers [1][2]. Researchers measured children's maths achievement and maths anxiety at the start and end of the school year. Parents reported their own maths anxiety and how often they helped with maths homework.
Children of maths-anxious parents learned less maths over the school year and were more likely to be maths-anxious themselves, but only when those parents helped frequently with homework [2][3]. The researchers suggested that maths-anxious parents may be less effective at explaining maths concepts, and may not respond well when children make a mistake or solve a problem in a new way [3].
The researchers' conclusion was not that anxious parents should stay away. They said parent preparation is essential to effective maths homework help, and pointed to tools such as maths books, games and apps that help parents engage with maths in positive ways [2].
Does this happen with teachers too?
A similar pattern has been reported in classrooms. A 2010 study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences looked at female teachers of first- and second-grade students in the United States [4]. There was no link between a teacher's maths anxiety and students' achievement at the start of the year. By the end of the year, girls in classes with more maths-anxious teachers were more likely to agree that "boys are good at math, and girls are good at reading", and girls who held that belief had lower maths achievement [5].
The takeaway for parents is that children notice how the adults around them feel about maths, even when nothing is said directly.
Can a structured activity help anxious families?
A 2015 study in Science gave 587 families with first-grade children in Chicago an iPad app with short maths stories and questions to complete together [6]. Children of highly maths-anxious parents made notable gains in maths achievement when they used the app. Using it about once a week was linked with gains, and using it more than twice a week gave no extra benefit [6].
This is one study, and a published comment on it raised questions about the analysis. Even so, it supports a sensible idea: when an activity gives parents the questions and answers, anxious parents can take part with less stress.
Practical ways to help, even if maths was not your strength
Watch your language:
Try to avoid phrases such as "I was never good at maths" or "I'm not a maths person". Children can take these as a sign that maths ability is fixed or that it is acceptable to give up. Instead, try "This one is tricky, let's work it out" or "Mistakes help us learn".
Treat mistakes calmly:
The 2015 researchers noted that anxious parents may react poorly when a child makes a mistake or uses an unfamiliar method [3]. When an answer is wrong, ask your child to talk you through their thinking. Often they will find the error themselves.
Let your child be the teacher:
If a method looks unfamiliar, ask your child to show you how their class does it. Explaining is useful practice for them, and it takes the pressure off you. If you are both stuck, write a short note for the teacher rather than teaching a different method.
Use worked answer keys:
You do not need to solve every problem yourself. Worksheets with answer keys let you check results accurately and point to where a mistake happened. Noooli's free printable maths worksheets (noooli.com/worksheets/maths) for Kindergarten to Year 6 include answers.
Bring maths into everyday life:
Everyday maths is low pressure and builds number sense:
Cooking: measuring, doubling a recipe, halving quantities.
Shopping: estimating the total, comparing prices, counting change.
Time: how many minutes until dinner, reading timetables.
Games: board games, card games and dice games that involve counting and adding.
Keep it short and regular:
Short, predictable routines are easier to sustain than long sessions that end in tears. Ten minutes at a set time, such as after afternoon tea, is enough for a quick practice activity.
Know what your child is learning:
It helps to know what the Australian Curriculum expects at your child's year level, so you can support the right skills. See is my child on track (noooli.com/learn/is-my-child-on-track) for a year-by-year overview.
How Noooli can help
Noooli offers short daily maths practice, about 10 minutes, for Kindergarten to Year 6, aligned to the Australian Curriculum. Parents can see their child's progress without needing to mark work themselves. Free printable maths worksheets with answer keys are available on the free maths worksheets page (noooli.com/worksheets/maths), with no sign-up. Plans are Free, Noooli Plus (A$9.99/month or A$107.89 a year, one child) and Noooli Max (A$19.99/month or A$214.99 a year, every child in the family); see pricing (noooli.com/pricing).
References
1. Maloney, E. A., Ramirez, G., Gunderson, E. A., Levine, S. C., & Beilock, S. L. (2015). Intergenerational effects of parents' math anxiety on children's math achievement and anxiety. Psychological Science, 26, 1480-1488. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0956797615592630
2. University of Chicago News. (2015). Parents' math anxiety can undermine children's math achievement. https://news.uchicago.edu/article/2015/08/10/parents-math-anxiety-can-undermine-children-s-math-achievement
3. ScienceDaily. (2015). Parents' math anxiety can undermine children's math achievement. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/08/150810091859.htm
4. Beilock, S. L., Gunderson, E. A., Ramirez, G., & Levine, S. C. (2010). Female teachers' math anxiety affects girls' math achievement. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107. https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.0910967107
5. MathEd.net Wiki. Beilock, Gunderson, Ramirez, & Levine (2010) summary. https://mathed.net/wiki/Beilock,_Gunderson,_Ramirez,_&_Levine_(2010)
6. American Association for the Advancement of Science. (2015). Science: Math app adds up for math-anxious families (reporting Berkowitz et al., Math at home adds up to achievement in school, Science). https://www.aaas.org/news/science-math-app-adds-math-anxious-families
Common questions
Can a parent's maths anxiety affect their child?
Research suggests it can. A 2015 study of 438 Year 1 and Year 2 aged children in the United States found that children of maths-anxious parents learned less maths over the school year and were more likely to become maths-anxious, but only when those parents helped frequently with maths homework.
Should I stop helping with maths homework if I am anxious about maths?
Not necessarily. The research points to how you help, not whether you help. Stay calm and positive, avoid saying you are "bad at maths", use the answer key or worked examples to check work, and let the teacher explain methods you are unsure about. Keeping sessions short also helps.
How can I help with maths if I do not understand the method?
Ask your child to explain the method to you, since explaining is useful practice. Use worked answers to check results, note the question for the teacher if you are both stuck, and focus on encouragement and routine rather than teaching. You do not need to be an expert to help.
