Three key strategies for reducing math anxiety

1. Set up for success

Getting wrong answers is no fun for a child with dyscalculia. In fact, it is downright stressful, discouraging, and demoralizing. Begin with math activities that are within your child's ability. A series of small sucesses will boost their confidence and prepare them for slightly more challenging tasks. Math for these students should have low stakes--providing little room to agonize over incorrect answers. The more successes they experience, the more positive they will feel about math.

 

2. Make math fun

Often the math experience at school consists largely of "drill and kill"--students learn a method from the teacher and then practice it repeatedly. At home, use math games and everyday interactions to create positive feelings about math. There are hundreds of card, strategy, and board games that require using math to different degrees. Find games that fit your child's interest and level. You might be surprised how much fun you have together. 

 

3. Make it relevant

What does your child like? Use what they love to tie in math. Nearly everything kids care about has mathematical connections that will be important to them. Good teachers use this strategy frequently to get their students excited about math. A good tutor, or parent, must use this strategy if they want to reach a child with dyscalculia.

 

With our initial diagnostic, we carry out a comprehensive analysis of a student's level and nature of math anxiety in order to come up with ways to alleviate it.