Dealing with Maths Anxiety

What Maths Anxiety Does to the Brain

 

Years later, I came across a BBC article that put into words exactly what I had experienced. Research shared in the article explains that brain scans of children aged seven to nine showed that those who feel anxious about maths have greater activity in the amygdala — the part of the brain associated with threat and fear.

 

This heightened anxiety can reduce working memory, making it harder for children to concentrate and process the maths in front of them. In other words, the anxiety itself can block performance, even when understanding is there.

 

The article goes on to explain a damaging cycle:

• Anxiety leads to poorer performance

• Poorer performance increases avoidance

• Avoidance deepens anxiety the next time maths appears

 

Left unchecked, maths anxiety can have long-term consequences for confidence, learning, and future choices.

 

Maths Anxiety Doesn’t Mean You Can’t Do Maths

 

Looking back now, I feel sad about how disengaged I became from maths — not because I couldn’t do it, but because I believed I couldn’t.

 

As a teacher, I now know I am capable of maths. I went back, studied it again, and proved to myself that I could understand and enjoy it. But the anxiety I developed as a teenager hasn’t completely disappeared.

 

That’s why it’s so important to challenge the idea that maths ability is something you either have or don’t have. This belief — often called a fixed mindset — is one of the biggest drivers of maths anxiety in children.

 

 

Maths Anxiety in Teachers Too

 

While researching this topic, I reached out to Jo Morgan (known as @MathsJem), who writes openly about maths anxiety — not just in pupils, but in teachers.

 

Her work highlights an often-overlooked issue: teachers who feel anxious about maths themselves may unintentionally pass those feelings on.

 

One line from her writing really stuck with me:

 

“It’s good for students to see a real person doing real maths, and making mistakes in the same way they do. It will probably make them feel better about their own anxieties.”

 

That idea alone lifted a weight off my shoulders. Mistakes aren’t failures — they’re part of learning. And children benefit from seeing that first-hand.

 

Helping Children with Maths Anxiety: Practical Tips for Parents

 

Here are some simple, practical ways parents can help reduce maths anxiety at home. Many of these ideas work just as well in the classroom too.

• Avoid saying “I was never good at maths”
  Even casually, this reinforces the idea that maths ability is fixed.

• Praise effort, not speed
  Maths isn’t about being fast. Celebrate persistence and problem-solving.

• Normalise mistakes
  Talk openly about errors as learning opportunities.

• Keep maths low-pressure
  Games, puzzles, and real-life maths (like cooking or shopping) can feel safer than worksheets.

• Focus on understanding, not just answers
  Ask children to explain their thinking — it builds confidence and clarity.

 

Final Thoughts

 

Maths anxiety is real, common, and deeply rooted — but it isn’t permanent.

 

With the right language, support, and mindset, children (and adults) can rebuild confidence in maths and begin to see it not as something to fear, but something they can do.

 

Do you have tips or experiences to share around maths anxiety? We’d love to hear them.