Maths is everywhere. On the clock as you set off out the door, in the coins at the checkout, the numbers as we count the stairs and in the recipe for the favourite family treat. A lot of us can get confused by maths at some point in our learning journey. But, for some children, maths doesn’t just feel tricky. It feels overwhelming, confusing and sometimes scary. If your child finds maths more confusing than fun, then it might be a sign of dyscalculia.
In this blog, we will explore what dyscalculia is, how to spot it, and most importantly, how you can support your child both at home and in collaboration with their school.
Understanding Dyscalculia
What is Dyscalculia?
Dyscalculia refers to a specific and persistent learning difference that mainly affects how someone understands and works with numbers, quantities and estimating. One of the main areas of difficulties is being able to relate the digits in our number system to the size and/or value of a number. So, the numbers can appear to have no meaning.
Not everyone who has difficulties with maths will have dyscalculia. An estimated 25% of people have maths learning difficulties, but only about 6% of people will have dyscalculia.
For a formal diagnosis, it is recommended that a qualified assessor, or educational psychologist, is the person to carry out any assessment. There are lists of approved and registered assessors available. Read more detail in this article from National Numeracy: What Is dyscalculia and how can it be spotted and supported in children and adults?
Signs Your Child Might Have Dyscalculia
Every child is different, but some areas of difficulties may include:
· Having to count and re-count, even small quantities, over and over again.
· Not understanding the ‘size of numbers’ so when or why an answer is unreasonably large or small.
· Not understanding the value of numbers, for example with prices being more or less than another.
· Finding it hard to estimate quantities, measurements, time and money.
· Difficulties in judging time (arriving late or very early) and the length of an event.
If these challenges are ongoing and significantly impact learning, you can talk to your child’s teacher who can support you with exploring next steps.
Strategies to Support Children at Home
You don’t need to be a maths teacher to help your child at home. What matters most is patience, encouragement, and finding practical, engaging ways to build their number confidence.
1. Use Everyday Maths
Try turning real-life tasks into the opportunity for some learning and practise. For example, cooking together is a great activity with measuring ingredients, doubling recipes, or setting timers. Shopping is another example. You can let your child help count out coins, look at prices, or work out if you have enough money. Try to make maths a part of the real-world.
2. Play Games
Board games, card games, and even apps can sneak in lots of chance to practice number skills without it feeling pressured. Games like Uno, Monopoly, or dominoes help with number recognition and counting. The key is to find games that don’t rely on speed, but instead can be played at a slower pace to meet their needs.
3. Use Visuals and Tools
Children with dyscalculia often benefit from concrete, hands-on tools. You can use lots of things around the house to help make maths feel less abstract. Think about things that allow your child to ‘see’ the numbers and quantities, such as blocks, beads, number frames or number lines. Everyday items could also be used such as counting objects in the fruit bowl.
4. Focus on Growth, Not Speed
Rote learning and timed activities can be particularly challenging and anxiety provoking. Try to add in more time to think and rather than pushing for speed, celebrate the effort.
5. A Calm, Pressure Free Environment
Maths anxiety can be a real difficulty for some young people. If your child feels pressured or judged, their brain may shut down which only makes it harder. Keep maths moments short, positive, and pressure-free.
Strategies That Can Be Used at School
Supporting your child at school is just as important as supporting them at home. Creating consistency in approaches between school and home means that children will feel they are understood and supported.
· If you have concerns, ask to speak with your child’s teacher.
· Share strategies and resources that have worked well at home to support your child.
· Ask about any additional ideas or strategies that school might suggest for home or that could be used in school such as extra time for assessment, using calculators, using manipulatives or alternative ways to record their learning.
· School can think about ways to reduce overwhelm and any potential anxiety around maths.
Local Resources and Support Services
Finding support beyond home and school can make a huge difference.
· Speak with your child’s school or educational setting as they may have some suggestions of places you can look to for additional information.
· If you are worried, you could speak with a professional such as an Educational Psychologist. They can assess your child formally and provide a diagnosis, which often unlocks access to services.
· Support Groups are available, both in-person and online communities of parents, who might offer advice, top tips or some encouragement.
Emotional Support for Your Child
Regularly having difficulties with maths can be really hard for a child and can sometimes start to impact on their confidence. Here are just a few things you can consider for supporting them:
· Encourage a Growth Mindset: Teach your child that mistakes are part of learning. You might want to model your own mistakes so they can see how we respond and react.
· Highlight Role Models: Share stories of successful people who faced learning differences. It helps children see that challenges don’t define their future.
· The wider family: It can be helpful to ensure others in the family understand their differences and strategies they can use to help, so that everyone is able to support when challenges arise.
Final thoughts
Every child learns in their own unique way. One of the most important ways we can support them is by really understanding what our children find tricky and exploring different strategies to find those that support them best. When we know how to help, we can put these things into place as their own mini ‘toolkit’ of strategies to be used whenever they need!
This article has been written by TTS in-house expert, Catherine Jewkes
Catherine is a former teacher, senior leader and qualified SENCo, having taught across many different year groups from Nursery to Year 6. She has also worked for a Local Authority leading and supporting a locality of over 70 mainstream and specialist settings from nurseries through to colleges, helping to develop and implement provision for their learners with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
