Parents who worry about math might unknowingly affect their children’s ability to learn it. A new study found that kids whose parents feel anxious about math tend to struggle with early numeracy skills, and this gap can continue as they grow.
Researchers from Loughborough University and several Italian universities followed nearly 130 children for five years. They assessed parents’ math anxiety when the kids were three and tracked the children’s math progress until age eight. While kids didn’t directly “catch” their parents’ anxiety, those with more anxious parents had lower math skills.
Dr. Kinga Morsanyi, a math expert at Loughborough University, explained that children of math-anxious parents began with weaker numeracy skills and continued to lag behind, even after starting school. This is surprising since school typically plays a major role in developing math abilities.
Strong math skills in early childhood are important for future success in school, work, and even overall well-being. For parents who struggle with math, Dr. Morsanyi suggests, “One simple yet powerful step parents can take is to speak more positively about math and recognize that you do not need a special talent in math to be able to learn it.” She adds that even if parents struggle with math, their support and positive attitude can greatly impact their children’s learning experience.
A positive attitude toward math can make a big difference. Even parents who aren’t great at math themselves can help their kids succeed by being supportive and open-minded.
Picture: Parents math anxiety is contagious to their children (Designer)
