You only fear something which you don’t know about; fear of the unknown. Do you ever wonder that your kids fear Math because they don’t understand it properly? There could be multiple reasons for not being able to understand Math like they find it boring, dry, difficult, etc, which ends up in them developing Mathematical phobia or anxiety. Arithmophobia is a condition of extreme fear of numbers. This is also known as numerophobia, constitutes an anxiety disorder in which the person fears anything related to mathematical calculation.
Here Are Some Common Reasons Creating Fear of Math :
1. Inherited Characteristic
The very first place where kids start learning is their home and parents are their first and foremost teachers.
They don’t show it but all the conversations they listen to get recorded in their subconscious. The interactions within the family members make a child dislike Math from a very young age without them even knowing about it. Even though the kid is good at Math, he eventually starts to dislike it.
2. Lack Of Creativity
There are two parts of the brain: right and left. Where the right side is the creative side and the left is the logical side of the mind. Lack of creativity, stories, colors, pictures in the subject makes the kids confined to use only half of their brain, which is usually the wrong side. Since there is no brain switching of brain usage from one side of the brain to the other side, the result is Negative brain instruction. This results in creating an understandable avoidance of the subject.
3. Low Self Confidence
Understandability of each mind is different. Each kid is different from one another, some kids get a question very easily and some don’t, which creates a feeling that there is something wrong with the latter. Another myth that causes low self-confidence in kids is the math gene – some have it and others do not. Hence, only the ones who have it can create or understand formulas and equations.
4. Influence Of The Community
The negative reputation of the subject among the people makes it look dry and useless to kids. People make a big deal out of the subject making it sound tough to the kids, hence creating a fear of failing or not doing well.
5. Learning Disorder
Almost 6 percent of the world’s population is affected by a learning disorder called dyscalculia. It is basically like a disability in which learning or understanding Math is difficult. Same in case of difficulty in understanding basic numbers, performing calculations, learning how to manipulate them. Informally it is also called “math dyslexia”.
6. Parental Pressure
Most of the time, kids require help to learn Math from an experienced person like teachers, tutors, or parents. Experienced instructors know the concept well but their inability to explain the concepts to the kid results in them being frustrated which leads to admonishment and yelling. The fear sets inside kids even before learning the concepts.
We aim to create a fear-free generation who is ready to challenge their weaknesses and fear and come out of it like warriors.