MATH ANXIETY SOLUTIONS FOR KIDS

 
 
Dyscalculia

HOW TO OVERCOME MATH ANXIETY

The best way to overcome math anxiety is to play games.

If those suffering from maths anxiety feel relaxed and confident and get the answer right through gameplay, then they will learn to overcome their fear.

Try some of the games below. They are a fun and brilliant way to engage children or teenagers who are struggling to learn.

All games can be played with 2 or more players but often with Dyscalculia or children with maths anxiety it works better to only play with 1 child and 1 adult. Kids who struggle from maths anxiety become easily embarassed and put out when they get the answer wrong.
Espcecially in front of others.

1. Adding up to 10 or Number Bonds Game

Adding up to 10 (or number bonds as teachers call it) are essential to know off by heart and fast. If they can master this then their maths anxiety will decrease and addition becomes much easier.

Equipment - Deck of Cards

  1. Deal out 16 cards in a grid.

  2. Each player has to look for cards that ADD UP TO 10. If they find two card eg 6 + 4 they pick them up and keep in their pile.

  3. One player is in charge of the deck. They replace new cards where ones have been taken up.

  4. No.10 cards can be pick up without finding another card

  5. Jack, Queen and King cards = 12. They can only be picked up with a 2 eg introducing taking away eg 12 - 2 = 10

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2. Addition Snap

Learning how to add numbers is one of the first tasks children learn. Getting them to do it quickly, helps a lot. This game will improve their speed.

Equipment needed: 1 Pack of playing cards

  1. Split the deck of cards into two.

  2. On the count of 1,2,3 both players place a card in front of them.

  3. The first player to add the two cards together and answer wins the two cards

  4. The adult player has to count to 5 on their fingers before they are allowed to answer. Adults can obviously count to larger number eg 10 or 15 if the children needs more time to answer, so making the game fair.

  5. Winner = the player with the most cards in their pile wins

*Jack, Queen, King cards all = 12  OR Jack = 11, Queen = 12, King = 13

3. Times Tables Snap

Being fast in your times tables is key. This game will help speed em up!

Equipment needed: 1 Pack of playing cards

(make sure they already know their times tables and if they don’t go to Table Fables )

  1. Split the deck of cards into two

  2. On the count of 1,2,3 both players place a card in front of them

  3. The first player to MULTIPLY the two cards together (eg 7 x 2 = 14) and shout the answer out wins the two cards.

  4. The adult player has to count to 5 (or more) on their fingers before they are allowed to answer.

  5. Winner = the player with the most cards

*Jack, Queen, King cards all = 12

AND you can keep in the jokers and make them worth 11.

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4. Subtracting Game

Subtracting numbers can be difficult for those that have Math Anxiety, Dyscalculia or number Dyslexia but playing games and having fun will massively help them with accuracy and speed.

Equipment - Deck of Cards (2 person player)

  1. Split the cards into two piles - Give a pile to each player

  2. On the count of 1,2,3 you both put down a card.

  3. The first person to SUBTRACT the lower card from the highest card wins the two cards and puts them in their pile.

  4. The adult player has to count to 5 on their fingers before they are allowed to answer. Adults can obviously count to larger number eg 10 or 15 if the children need more time to answer, so making the game fair.

  5. Jack, Queen and King cards = 12. Eg Jack (12) - 5 = 7, Queen (12)  - 8 = 4

  6. The player with the most cards in their piles wins the cards in the end.

5. Triangles

This game will help addition frustrations and relax those with Math anxiety or Dyscalculia.

Equipment - Deck of cards (Take out the Jack, Queen and Kings)

  1. Deal out 2 cards to each player.  

  2. The cards are placed in front of them as 2 corners of a triangle with the highest value card at the top and the lowest value one on the bottom left corners.

  3. In turn, each player then takes a card from the stack. If the card, when added to the one at the bottom of the triangle, makes the number at the top of the triangle they shout, “triangle” (i.e. if the first two cards are 7 and 4 then the 7 goes on top 4 at the bottom -   3 is needed to complete the triangle).

  4. When a triangle is won. They replace two new cards to start to form a new triangle.

  5. If the card they take does not add up they return it to the bottom of the stack and the next player has a turn.

  6. The winner is either the first person to complete 3 triangles or the person with most when all cards are used up or everyone is stuck.

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6. Confusing maths word game

This is a brilliant game that even teenagers like playing with their parents. Even more fun if there’s a prize of forfeit involved.

There are a lot of different words for symbols in maths which can be confusing. This game should help.

Equipment needed - Deck of cards

Print out this sheet and cut it up into cards

  1. Divide the deck of cards into two

  2. Stack up the word cards face down in the middle.

  3. Turn over the first-word card eg Total

  4. After the count of 1,2,3, each player puts down one card each.

  5. The player that either adds, multiplies, subtracts or divides (only do divides if the children are advanced enough -  as the majority of answers will have a remainder in the answer)

  6. The player that gets the answer first wins the two cards and puts them in their pile.

  7. The adult player has to count to 5 on their fingers before they are allowed to answer. Adults can obviously count to larger number eg 10 or 15 if the children need more time to answer, so making the game fair.

  8. The WINNER - is the person that has the most cards at the end of the game.