Quite often, children find math to be an extremely difficult and boring subject. If you find that your children face the same problem, you should try to understand the reason behind it and help them out accordingly. In case you are a teacher, it is even more important to understand how you can help your students get over their fear of the subject.
1. Help Children Overcome Their Fear Of Math?
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2. Quite often, children find math to be an extremely difficult and
boring subject. If you find that your children face the same problem,
you should try to understand the reason behind it and help them out
accordingly. In case you are a teacher, it is even more important to
understand how you can help your students get over their fear of the
subject.
Why do children find math difficult?
Although the fear of math is common among children, the reasons
may vary. For a vast number of children having difficulty with math,
the most common causes for their difficulty are:
3. 1. Learning concepts without understanding
Rather often, students learn the math concepts without actually
understanding them. They are still able to solve math problems because
have memorized the process. However, as they do not know the logic
behind it, they would face challenges in solving problems that are slightly
different but use the same concept.
2. Hating the subject
When children find math to be stressful, they start hating it. Now, it is quite
natural to face difficulties in a subject that they do not like. Their distaste
for math reduces their efforts towards doing well and prevents them from
learning properly. As their performance continues to drop, so would their
willingness to try harder.
4. 3. Lack of practice
Let’s face it, learning anything properly requires practice and this is
especially true in the case of math. When students do not practice solving
math problems at home, they naturally start facing difficulties. In many
cases, students would watch their teacher solve a problem easily and get
overconfident that they do not need any practice.
4. Learning concepts without understanding
Math is a subject that always builds on concepts that the students have
learned previously. This means that the students first need to learn the
underlying concepts properly and develop a solid base for solving more
advanced problems. For example, a child who has not learned
multiplication properly would face challenges while tackling simplification
problems.
How to help children overcome the fear of math?
Thankfully, there are several ways to help children understand math better
and get over the fear. Some of the simplest solutions are:
5. 1. Visual representations
It is much easier to understand math problems when visual
representations are available. For example, if a child faces difficulties in
understanding multiplication or division, you could use small objects like
marbles to clear up the concepts for them.
2. Mental math
A great way to make the subject fun, easy and interesting for children is to
help them learn mental math. When they can solve various smaller
problems mentally, they develop a better understanding of the concepts.
6. 3. Patience and practice
Every child learns at its own pace and teachers or parents should be
patient with them. If you notice children facing difficulties with a concept,
help them understand it completely before moving on. Also, make them
practice again and again to develop their math skills.
Apart from these, you can always make math more fun by implementing
math games. By taking a child-friendly approach, you can help them start
liking the subject and overcome the difficulties.
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