Math Phobia is Conquerable

Math phobia can describe a learner’s worry or avoidance around mathematics; it is not a diagnosis. This article keeps the original account shared by Mala Grover and adds general, practical ideas for families who want to make maths practice feel more manageable. The suggestions below are separate from the family’s personal story.

What the parent story describes

Mala’s account describes a child who needed time to understand maths concepts, found memorising formulas difficult and felt pressure in examinations. Practice with an abacus helped with quick addition and subtraction, while a later shift toward understanding formulas helped the student approach more complex schoolwork. The account’s main takeaway is to notice how a child is learning, rather than judging progress only by speed or a single test score.

Math Phobia: Five practical ways to support confidence

1. Begin with a small, familiar example

Use objects, drawings or a real situation to introduce one idea before moving to symbols. For example, equal groups of counters can make multiplication visible. Ask the child what they notice and let them explain the steps in their own words.

2. Break a problem into steps

When a question feels overwhelming, cover the later steps and work through one decision at a time: what is known, what needs to be found, and which operation or rule could help? A short checklist can make the process easier to repeat without giving the answer away.

3. Ask for reasoning, not only the result

Questions such as “How did you decide?” or “Can you show another way?” help a parent understand where the child is confident and where they need support. If the explanation stops, return to a simpler example instead of repeating the same instruction louder or faster.

4. Practise in brief, regular sessions

Choose a small number of questions matched to the skill being learned. Pause when attention fades, then revisit the idea later. Keep speed drills separate from concept learning so that a child who needs thinking time can still build a strong understanding.

5. Treat errors as useful clues

Look at the exact step where an answer changed. The child may understand the idea but have made a copying or calculation slip; or they may need the concept shown another way. Correct the reasoning together and try one similar question to check whether the new explanation helped.

Connect practice to the way a child learns

Children may respond differently to diagrams, spoken explanations, manipulatives or written examples. Keep track of which representation helps a particular concept make sense. For a child describing math phobia, a calm, specific conversation about the difficult step can be more useful than pressure to finish quickly. Vikalp’s overview of activity-based learning describes learning through doing, while its math and science classes page explains its use of learning tools and guided activities. These pages describe Vikalp’s approach; families should choose support that fits the learner and curriculum.

Use reliable learning materials

For curriculum-aligned reference, families can consult the official NCERT ePathshala textbook portal and choose the relevant class and subject. Use a textbook to review an example, then ask the learner to explain the idea or solve a fresh question. For some learners, math phobia may be tied to a particular skill, memory of a difficult lesson or pressure to work quickly; listening without blame can help identify what support to try. If worry about schoolwork persists or affects daily life, discuss it with the child’s teacher and consider seeking advice from an appropriately qualified professional.

Common questions

Should a child memorise formulas?

Remembering a formula can be useful, but understanding what its parts mean helps a learner decide when and how to use it. Work through an example and ask the child to explain why the formula fits.

Is speed the best measure of maths ability?

No single measure captures everything a learner knows. Accuracy, explanation, persistence and applying an idea to a new problem can also show progress. Practise speed only when the underlying method is understood.

What should I do if a child gets stuck?

When math phobia leads a child to avoid a question, ask which part feels unclear, reduce the problem to a simpler example and give the child time to think. If the same difficulty continues, compare notes with the teacher and agree on a consistent way to practise.

Hi,

I am Mala Grover, Ramyaa’s mother. I am sharing my experience as a parent of my child’s primary education days.

Ramyaa has been an average student in most of her school life. When she was in her primary school, she used to take a lot of time to understand a concept in Mathematics, as well as Science. But, when she understood, it used to be easy for her to solve problems. The main problem used to occur in the examinations. Since, my child was not good at memorizing things; she used to lose marks because of her inability to learn the formulas.

We wanted her to perform her best, so we wanted to sharpen her skills in doing things quickly. So we sent her for Abacus classes. There, Ramyaa initially struggled while solving simple addition-subtraction math problems, but later on, with practice, she was able to solve sums in a quick span of time.

Her Abacus classes helped her for she was able to get through many Mathematical struggles. But her examination stress did not help her get many marks.

Later on, in her higher classes 7th, 8th and 9th, with the increase in complexity of the subject, Ramyaa’s score declined. But in 10th grade, she changed her way of studying, instead of focusing on learning formulas blindly, she started understanding them. This helped her get a good score in her class.

As a parent, I believe, if we do not ask our children to focus on cramming things and make our children understand things; it will help them to score more.

The story was written by Mala Grover and shared over the email.