Maths News

Helping Your Child Develop a Positive Mindset in Maths

At St John’s, we believe every child can grow and succeed in Maths with the right mindset. Developing a positive attitude towards Maths is just as important as practising skills. Research shows that when children believe they can improve with effort, they are more motivated and confident learners.

Here are some simple ways you can support your child at home

Celebrate effort, not just answers: Praise your child for trying, persevering, and using strategies – not only when they get the “right” answer. This builds resilience and a love of learning.

Use everyday Maths: Involve your child in real-life Maths, such as measuring ingredients, telling the time, budgeting, or estimating the cost of groceries. This shows them that Maths is practical and useful.

Model a positive attitude: Avoid saying things like “I was never good at Maths”. Instead, show curiosity and encourage problem-solving. Your attitude towards Maths greatly influences your child’s mindset.

Encourage mistakes as learning opportunities: Mistakes are part of learning! Talk with your child about what they discovered when something didn’t work out the first time.

Play games and have fun: Board games, puzzles, rolling dice to develop metal strategies and online activities such as IXL can make Maths enjoyable and reduce anxiety.

By nurturing a growth mindset, we help children see challenges as opportunities,  build confidence in tackling Maths problems and becoming confident mathematicians. 

Together, we can encourage students to say: “I can learn this – I just need to keep trying.”