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Maths anxiety starts younger than you think: how to help at home

A gap between girls and boys in enjoying numbers can show from as early as age 8. Here is what helps, and what to say at home.

Written by the Brainhub Editorial Team Cites published research Updated 13 Oct 2026 6 min read

Key takeaways

1. Why now

Late November is a good moment for a quiet confidence check. The first half of term is behind your child, mocks are coming for older pupils, and Christmas is a chance to reset before the new year.

2. It starts earlier than you might think

In The Richmond Project’s Number Nation survey of more than 10,000 people, a gap between girls and boys in enjoying numbers was evident from as early as age 8. Among pupils in Years 4 to 13 (ages 9 to 18), 71% of boys said they enjoy using everyday numbers, compared with only 49% of girls.[1]

Researchers at the University of Cambridge found that children as young as 9 can describe their maths anxiety, that girls tend to be more affected than boys, and that secondary pupils often named the move from primary to secondary school as a cause.[4]

3. Confidence is not the same as ability

A YouGov survey for Teach First of more than 1,000 young people aged 11 to 16 found that more than half of girls (54%) don’t feel confident learning maths, compared with two in five boys (41%).[2]

Feeling anxious about maths does not mean a child is bad at it. In a study of 1,757 children aged 8 to 9 and 12 to 13, 77% of the children with high maths anxiety did as well as most children in maths, or better.[5]

Nobody is “not a maths person”. Worry isn’t the same as ability, and both can change.

4. Parents feel it too

In a 2024 YouGov survey for National Numeracy, 23% of parents and carers said helping with their child’s maths homework makes them anxious, and 1 in 5 (20%) said maths homework had caused arguments at home. Over a third of women (34%) and just over 1 in 5 men (22%) said they had told their child they are bad at maths.[3]

In the Number Nation survey, a fifth of parents (20%) said they don’t feel confident helping with maths homework, partly because methods today are different from how they learned.[1]

The Cambridge researchers suggest that parents and teachers should be aware that their own maths anxiety might influence a child’s.[4]

5. What to say, and what to skip

National Numeracy advises being positive about maths and avoiding phrases like “I can’t do maths” or “I hated maths at school”, because children may start to think the same way. It also suggests praising effort rather than being “clever”, which shows children that hard work helps them improve.[6]

These swaps are our own suggestions, built on that advice.

Instead of…
Try…
“I was never any good at maths.”
“Let’s work it out together.”
“You’re so clever!”
“You kept going with that one. Well done.”
“Some people just aren’t maths people.”
“You can’t do it yet. Let’s practise.”
“Hurry up, it’s easy.”
“Take your time. Show me how you got there.”

Stuck on homework methods?: Ask your child to teach you how their class does it. Explaining is great practice for them, and it takes the pressure off you.

6. Everyday maths, little and often

National Numeracy suggests pointing out the maths in everyday life, and including your child in activities that use numbers and measuring, such as shopping, cooking and travelling.[6]

Shopping

Ask them to keep a rough running total, or work out which pack is better value.

Cooking

Halve or double a recipe together, and let them do the weighing.

Journeys

“If the bus comes every 12 minutes and we just missed one, when’s the next?”

Mistakes are welcome

When an answer is wrong, get curious together: “What happened there?”

Want a confidence boost before the mocks?: Our teachers can talk through where your child feels stuck in a free call.

Try it now

Test yourself on this page

Answer in your head first, then check.

  1. 1. From what age can a gap between girls and boys in enjoying numbers already show?

  2. 2. Does maths anxiety mean a child is bad at maths?

  3. 3. What does National Numeracy suggest praising?

Your next steps

  • Ask your child how maths feels at the moment, not just how it is going.
  • Swap one phrase from the table this week.
  • Find one bit of everyday maths to do together before Christmas.

Sources

  1. The Richmond Project (9 January 2026). Number Nation: the UK’s largest ever survey of attitudes to numbers. Survey of more than 10,000 people, including children aged four and above, conducted by Public First. richmondproject.org/2026/01/09/less-than-half-the-uk-public-is-proficient-with-numbers-according-to-largest-ever-survey-of-uks-attitudes-to-numbers-from-the-richmond-project
  2. Teach First (8 February 2024). Girls’ low confidence in science and maths is threat to STEM workforce, says education charity. YouGov survey of more than 1,000 young people aged 11 to 16. teachfirst.org.uk/press-release/girls-low-confidence-science-and-maths-threat-stem-workforce
  3. National Numeracy (22 May 2024). Parents brought to the brink of tears by children’s maths homework. YouGov survey of 2,238 UK adults, 9 to 10 May 2024. nationalnumeracy.org.uk/news/parents-brought-brink-tears-childrens-maths-homework
  4. University of Cambridge (14 March 2019). Report examines origins and nature of maths anxiety. Centre for Neuroscience in Education, funded by the Nuffield Foundation. cam.ac.uk/research/news/report-examines-origins-and-nature-of-maths-anxiety
  5. Devine, A., Hill, F., Carey, E. and Szűcs, D. (2018). Cognitive and emotional math problems largely dissociate: prevalence of developmental dyscalculia and mathematics anxiety. Journal of Educational Psychology, 110(3), 431–444. 1,757 children aged 8 to 9 and 12 to 13. doi:10.1037/edu0000222
  6. National Numeracy. Supporting children with maths: tips for parents and carers. nationalnumeracy.org.uk/helping-children-maths

This guide is general study advice. Every student is different. A teacher can help you work out what fits.