Overcoming Math Struggles: 5 Common Reasons Your Child May Be Struggling and Effective Ways to Help

Mathematics has earned a reputation for being the most challenging subject in school. There are two types of people--: those who love math and those who hate and struggle. Some students suffer from math anxiety, making it hard for them to excel in the subject regardless of how much they have prepared. 

Math difficulties are oftentimes multidimensional, with more than one issue.

Nevertheless, recent studies report that 37% of teens consider math the most challenging subject in school.

Are you wondering why your child faces math struggles but excels in other subjects? Keep reading!

5 Common Reasons Why Your Child Could be Struggling with Math:

Attention Problems

Math, especially in higher grades, involves multi-step problems requiring students to perform consecutive steps before finding a solution. To succeed, students must have undivided attention and focus in class to completely understand how to solve the issues. It is probable that your child gets distracted or loses focus when learning complex math problems. 

As such, they miss out on some crucial steps in the problem-solving process. Attention difficulties make it impossible for students to solve math problems they had learned earlier in class. Students must remain focused in math to revisit concepts and translate them correctly.

Learning Disorders

Different types of learning disorders can cause your child to struggle with math.  

• Dyscalculia is a learning disorder that causes students trouble with basic math or learning math facts.
• Math anxiety causes otherwise good performers to freeze on a math test, driving them to either misread or complete fewer questions.
• ADHD makes it hard for students to pay attention in class, affecting their math skills.
• Visual processing disorder causes students to struggle with math problems that require spatial reasoning, such as reading tables and geometry.

Limited Practice

Some students struggle with math because they don't spare enough time to practice math concepts. 

Others may assume they understood a concept in class and don't attempt to do it later on their own time. Such students later struggle with the process, especially if the same problem is on a test.

It is common for students to feel confident after watching their teacher explain a concept, only to face challenges later when trying to do it independently. Your child can only improve their math skills through practice and patience.

At Kids on the Yard, we identify the areas where your child is struggling and focus on closing the learning gaps.

They believe in the myth “math is hard.”

If you keep speaking negatively of math and constantly refer to it as "hard," your child will believe you.  The belief that the subject is complex causes learners to give up quickly whenever they encounter a challenge. 

A negative mindset can cause your child to be less motivated, perform poorly, and have reduced confidence in class.

Memorizing concepts over understanding them.

Most students memorize formulas and concepts rather than understand them. While this may work in the short-term, it is inefficient since information gets stored in short-term memory. Children who cram or memorize concepts also experience challenges once they encounter new problems and when concepts become more complex.