Why Kids Say They Donâ€^™t Like Math

By Chloe, Instructor

Almost anyone who’s had a child can relate to the experience of that child expressing a distaste for math. Sometimes, they simply say that they “aren’t good at it,” while other times they may—especially if frustrated—go so far as to say that they hate it. Why? Why does it seem like such a universal concept that there are so many children who don’t like the subject?

There are a few factors, some of which may some obvious, but others that might surprise you. Read on for some of the main reasons it seems like kids always put up a fight when it comes time to do math homework.

1. It hurts to be "wrong"

   You’ve been wrong about something before, right? We all have. Nobody knows everything, and sometimes facts can get mixed up in our minds. However, knowing that everyone is wrong sometimes still doesn’t take the sting away. On top of that, math can feel complicated. There are a lot of steps. Words don’t always mean the same thing. Even if 99% of your work is correct, the final answer will still be marked “WRONG!”

   Kids have even fewer coping mechanisms than adults to deal with the pain of being wrong. So after working hard for a number of minutes (or longer!) on a problem, finding out that their work was “wrong” can feel like a huge bummer. Instead of seeing these moments as an opportunity for growth, kids can often lash out at the perceived subject of their pain: math itself.

2. They feel they are "behind" the other kids

   Humans like to compare. It’s one of the only ways we’re able to comprehend our place in the world. Unfortunately, that means that even in areas where it doesn’t make sense to make comparisons, we still do. Children are even more susceptible to make unfavorable comparisons of themselves to others. When it comes time to do math, if your child is struggling with a topic that other kids seem to be grasping easily, they may feel that they are falling behind—or worse, that they are stupid.

   This of course isn’t true. Some of those other kids may have had extra help outside the classroom, or it may be a topic that suits their particular learning style. That doesn’t matter in a child’s head, and they will compare their math skills to the kids who are doing better, and come to the conclusion that they either can’t do math, or that there’s no point in learning it because they’ll just never be able to catch up.

3. Math knowledge builds on itself

   This is a topic that comes up often on this blog—learning gaps. Math is a difficult subject to learn in part because there are so many different skills required to bring it all together. Reading comprehension, numerical fluency, order of operations, arithmetic, spatial awareness… the list goes on and on. If even one of these skills isn’t fully developed, the next topic or chapter is going to be a whole lot harder.

   If there is even a single gap in your child’s knowledge, as math concepts build and grow on themselves, it gets harder and harder to understand what’s going on. Learning the concepts can become a rigorous mental challenge of memorization and frustration as the methods seem to only work sometimes, and they don’t know why. When these gaps go unacknowledged, math can eventually feel like a complete impossibility, leading kids to come to the conclusion that they just don’t like the subject.

4. It's easier than admitting they don't understand

   A lot of times, kids have a strong sense of pride. Anyone who has ever felt prideful can relate to the feeling of not wanting to admit that you don’t understand something. This is similar to “it hurts to be wrong,” but this usually happens before any work has been done. Staring at a problem that features numbers and letters without knowing what any of them mean can be a dizzying experience—especially if you barely understood the problem when there weren’t any variables involved. At this stage, asking for help can feel like admitting you are dumb. Rather than “lower” themselves to this point, they simply decide that math isn’t for them, and they don’t like the subject anyway.

So what’s the solution?

Work on identifying the true cause of the feeling. It’s usually not actually because the subject is boring. More often than not, it’s because they are struggling with a specific topic or the subject as a whole and need a little extra help to understand. There is no shame in getting extra help. If you’ve never fixed a car before, you wouldn’t just open up the hood and try to fix it. You’d ask someone who knows how to fix a car for help.

That goes for math, too. Offer help, or find an expert who can explain the material even better than you can. To find out more about whether your child needs extra math help, schedule a Mathnasium math skills assessment. It’s a comprehensive 2-hour 1-on-1 math assessment with one of our trained math instructors. And it’s free!