If mental arithmetic has you in a panic, it might be bad news for your children.
Parents who hate maths have children who are worse at maths, a study suggests.
Up to 30 per cent of people have severe ‘maths anxiety’, which can lead to sweaty palms, a racing heart, and even an upset stomach and lightheadedness.
Researchers looked at maths anxiety in 126 parents, then tracked their children’s maths skills.
Children were worse at maths, aged three to five, if their parents were anxious about numbers.
And children worse at maths in their preschool years were found to have poorer maths skills still at the age of eight.
That suggests their parents’ anxiety could set them up to struggle with maths for years to come.
It may be that young children play fewer helpful counting games at home when their parents hate maths and want to avoid it.
If mental arithmetic has you in a panic, it might be bad news for your children. Parents who hate maths have children who are worse at maths, a study suggests (stock image)
But the study authors say that, even when parents try to play numbers games with their children, they could pass on their unhappy feelings about maths, perhaps through a lack of enthusiasm.
That might reduce or eradicate the benefits of the activity.
Dr Kinga Morsanyi, senior author of the study from Loughborough University, said: ‘One simple yet powerful step parents can take is to speak more positively about maths and recognise that you do not need a special talent in maths to be able to learn it.
‘Even if parents struggle with maths, showing interest, enthusiasm and encouragement can make a big difference for their children.’
Encouraging parents to boost their own confidence in maths by improving their numeracy in classes or online, Dr Morsanyi added: ‘They can also embrace a growth mindset where you recognise that making mistakes in maths is not only okay, but an important part of the learning process.’
The study, published in the journal of Experimental Child Psychology, asked parents in Italy about their maths anxiety when their children were three years old.
They rated how much they agreed with three statements, including ‘I avoid situations involving maths’ and ‘I feel anxious when I do activities that involve maths’.
The final statement was ‘I would not be scared if my work required more maths’.
Researchers looked at maths anxiety in 126 parents, then tracked their children’s maths skills. Children were worse at maths, aged three to five, if their parents were anxious about numbers (stock image)
Children of parents found to have maths anxiety based on this questionnaire were not more anxious about maths themselves at the age of eight.
But these children did do more poorly in a test involving counting and simple sums when they were aged three to five.
This was the case regardless of how well-educated their parents were, which the researchers took into account.
Children who were less skilled in maths before going to school were generally worse at maths in a test when they were eight, involving times tables and adding, subtracting and multiplying in their head.
People who struggle with maths in childhood tend to struggle as adults and can be worse at making financial decisions as a result, previous studies have found.
These people lacking mathematical ability can do worse in their education and career, and go on to earn less, based on previous evidence.
