Helping a child who has lost confidence in maths

Listen for the specific difficulty

“I am bad at maths” does not tell you which idea needs attention. Try asking: “Where did this question stop making sense?” or “Which part could you start on your own?” There may be a much smaller problem inside the larger worry.

Avoid turning every conversation into a lesson. Agree a calm time to look at one example, and let the student describe their thinking before correcting it.

Choose a step they can explain

If a percentage problem is difficult, check whether the student understands the relationship between the part and the whole. If algebra feels unfamiliar, connect a symbol to a concrete example before adding more notation.

For example, 25% is one quarter. Finding 25% of 80 by dividing by four gives 20. The next useful step is to explain why that works and try the same reasoning with a new amount, rather than immediately adding several harder methods.

Make practice a short feedback loop

Try an explanation, an attempt and a check. If the attempt is uncertain, return to the exact step that needs clarification. Getting more questions wrong without understanding why is not a useful measure of effort.

Ask the student to predict what they will do, notice what happens while working, then review the result. Planning, monitoring and evaluating learning are part of the approach described in the Education Endowment Foundation’s guidance on self-regulated learning.

Use language that keeps the next step open

• “Show me how you started” invites reasoning.
• “What would help you check that?” encourages independence.
• “You spotted where it went wrong” recognises a useful learning action.
• “Let’s find an explanation for this step” focuses attention on something manageable.

These are conversation examples, not a script every parent must follow. The aim is to keep mistakes discussable and the student involved.

Notice changes beyond the mark

Look for a question asked without prompting, a willingness to attempt unfamiliar work or an explanation in the student’s own words. Compare these observations with the actual work over time; avoid promising that confidence alone will produce a particular grade.

For school-related difficulties, keep the subject teacher involved. If you want to discuss tutoring, explore KS3 maths support or GCSE maths tuition. We start by listening to the student’s current understanding and needs.