Mar 27, 2023
8 Signs Your Child Needs Special Attention in Math

Many children struggle with math, especially if they start believing they’re not good at it. This often results in lost interest and poor results as the child gives up on the subject altogether. As a parent, it can be a major cause of concern since math is an important subject and significant for a child’s future.
In these circumstances, you must not lose hope and provide all possible support to get your child back on the right track. You can provide them with emotional support, be patient as you teach them, collaborate with their teachers, and offer them online practising worksheets. These things will definitely help your child become better and more comfortable with the math concepts.
However, before anything else, you should be able to identify whether your child even needs help. If you’re unsure of how to proceed, here are some signs that you should always lookout for:
Slow Mental Math
Mental math is one of the most important parts of the subject. Although some children have an innate ability to imagine numbers and solve complex equations in their heads, not all children can do this. However, every child should ideally be comfortable with solving basic mathematical commands in their head.
This can become easier by memorizing tables and having a sure-fire way to solve addition/subtraction questions. If they’re unable to do basic math in their head, it’s a definite cause of worry. Inability to do mental math or being slow will inevitably result in poor performance in the subject.
Struggling to Work on Their Own
Has your child been showing difficulty in doing their own work? Are they constantly asking for help? Has the teacher pointed out that your child isn’t able to start on their own? All of these are signs that your child is struggling with math. If the child repeatedly shows that they’re incapable of working by themselves, you must take it seriously
In this case, the child could use extra help to match the pace of their peers and get up to speed with everyone else.
Anxiety or Dislike towards Math
Some kids tend to show extreme anxiety and dislike towards math. Parents often write it off as normal behaviour; however, it’s anything but normal. If you find that your child gets very anxious every time, they’re asked to solve a mathematical problem, it could be because they don’t have a good grasp on it.
They may be exhibiting these signs because they’re simply unable to solve it despite their best efforts. In this case, the best course of action is to look for ways to put them at ease and make them more comfortable with the subject matter. It can be done by solving interactive and qualitative worksheets which are available online.
Trouble Understanding Concepts
Some children take a while to understand mathematical concepts. It’s perfectly normal and can be dealt with some extra attention. Unfortunately, school systems rarely, if ever, allow teachers the time to give individual attention to each student. In this case, the situation keeps worsening until the child completely loses interest in the subject.
The best way forward is to stop the confusion in its tracks and help the child understand the concepts before moving on to more complex ones.
Unable to Hit Milestones
There are mathematical milestones that every child conventionally follows. While it may be normal for your child to slightly lag behind others, you should be worried if they’re significantly falling behind. In this case, your child may also end up failing math unless the situation is addressed promptly.
Frequent Incomplete Assignments
One major sign that your child needs to practice more is that they frequently turn in incomplete assignments. This is something your child’s teacher can point out for you, or you can track their assignments on your own. This happens when child might have lost interest in the topic.
If the situation keeps repeating itself, it usually means your child has trouble with the subject and can use extra help.
Doesn’t Try Alternative Methods
When it comes to math, there are usually several alternative methods to solve the problem. Do you find your child giving up quickly if they can’t solve a question? This is a sign of trouble because the child doesn’t have a strong grasp of the subject. Ideally, they should be able to deal with the problem one way or another (even if the answer comes out to be wrong).
Slipping Grades & Poor Feedback from Teacher
Constantly slipping grades in math (especially when your child is doing well in other subjects) is a strong indicator of trouble. This, paired with poor feedback from their teacher, means it’s time for you to take action. It’s one of the most obvious signs of trouble since it’s evidence of a deeper issue. In this case, you must have a conversation with your child and investigate further. Engaging your child in an interactive platform, such as Up-skool, where he can learn at his own pace using interactive worksheets, can effectively solve this problem and improve your child’s academic performance.
Get High-Quality Online Math Worksheets at Up-skool
Practicing multiple questions on a topic is sure to give your child a better understanding of the subject and effectively engage them. Up-skool provides online Math and English worksheets and strives to provide quality assessments, analysis and learning incentives. We encourage students to learn comfortably at their own pace.
Our PreK-5 online interactive worksheets are designed to help your child learn in a personalized and interactive environment. We use world-class educational resources to augment your child’s learning.
Get in touch with us to learn more and start your child’s journey today!
Hello