What’s a homeschool mom to do when your child becomes a reluctant math learner? Get creative, that’s what! One of the many reasons I love homeschooling is that I can tailor my child’s studies in ways that benefit them. I want my children to enjoy learning so it’s my job to help them not see tough subjects like math as a chore. My goal is to make math enjoyable, and not just about textbook work.
Math anxiety is real and having a reluctant math learner can be challenging. Signs of math anxiety can include but are not limited to negative thoughts about math, negative thoughts about self, poor attitude, lack of confidence, crying, feeling discouraged, underachieving, etc.
When a 10-15 minute math lesson turns into an hour, and may or may not include a tantrum or two, that’s when the brakes have to go on. It’s time to reevaluate the situation and make changes that best suit the needs of your child.
Let’s chat about a few ways I have learned to encourage my child and help them overcome math anxiety:
Be Understanding
Sometimes, reluctant math learners aren’t sure how to express why or how something is not working. When you see their frustration building, rather than getting upset, try being understanding. Help them by telling them it’s okay and that you understand their frustration. Ask them questions to see what area they are struggling with. If your learner is younger, this may be a bit difficult for them to express and that’s okay. The best thing for you to do is be patient. This is a great chance for you to practice several Fruit of the Spirit all at the same time, sometimes. (Ask me how I know).
This post is sponsored by CTCMath. My time was compensated however all opinions are my own.
Change Curriculum
After taking a look at why they’re frustrated, end the lesson. The last thing I want is frustration to build up because that will only cause more harm. As a result, I’ve trialed and errored many math curricula because it didn’t work for my child. I have also learned that what works for one child, does not always work for another. If I want my child to overcome math anxiety, I, myself, had to learn how to be flexible and make the change to something different when it was necessary.
Make Math Practical
Find ways to build math into everyday situations. An easy way to do this is by getting your kids in the kitchen to help cook! Cooking is an excellent way to help overcome math anxiety and the best thing about it is, the kids won’t even realize that they are doing math. My kids love cooking so this one was easy for us.
Play Games
Incorporating math games is a great way to build morale when it comes to math. It’ll give your child a nice relief and a breath of fresh air away from the textbooks. When my oldest daughter became a reluctant math learner, I completely took away math textbooks for a while and let her play math games for a season. One of our favorite math games is Math Rider. This is a great area to get creative and build in board games, card games, and other fun math games.
Try Math Online
This, hands down, has been one of the best decisions for us. Why? Because using an online math curriculum is basically like having a math tutor come over to my house every day! There are no textbooks and it’s almost like playing a game but they are actually learning good stuff.
The CTCMath Homeschool Membership is an online math curriculum that will give you hope and will help you see a light at the end of the math anxiety tunnel!
Overcome Math Anxiety With CTCMath
If you’re looking for a great option to help overcome math anxiety, CTCMath is a must-try. Here are a few of my favorite things about CTCMath:
Comprehensive Curriculum: CTCMath covers math lessons for kindergarten to high school. Your child will have access to all lessons from all grade levels which will help them to work at their own pace.
Video Lessons: CTCMath provides high-quality, step-by-step video tutorials that break down complex concepts into manageable pieces which makes it great for all learning style varieties.
Interactive Questions: After each video lesson, your child will complete interactive questions to test their understanding of the topic and help identify areas that may need more attention.
Adaptive Learning: CTCMath adjusts to each child’s skill level, offering personalized learning and tailored lesson plans. This helps ensures that your child is consistently challenged (but not overwhelmed) and engaged.
Pricing and Affordability: CTCMath has a variety of membership options available. They offer a half-price discount for multi-child families and homeschoolers! You can even get a free trial to see if it’s a good fit for your family.
External Resources: CTCMath also offers a Facebook group for parents and a YouTube channel where they share extra tips, advice, and resources.
How Has CTCMath Helped Us?
CTCMath is a game changer. Since adding the CTCMath Homeschool Membership to our homeschool, we have a math program that all of my children enjoy. My oldest daughter has overcome math anxiety, and my younger two are learning math with no anxiety in sight! Thank the Lord!
Each of them is learning math at their own pace and doesn’t feel bombarded with textbooks and quizzes.
I also love how on-the-go CTCMath is. Whenever we travel, we can easily pack the kids’ tablets inside a backpack or suitcase and take math along.
What Has Helped You?
I’d love to hear the tips that you have used to help your kids overcome math anxiety in the comments below! Don’t forget, you can get a free trial of CTCMath to see if it’s a good fit for your family.
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