DD says she is 'stupid' at maths and hates it.

[KTk9]

dd Year 2, was chating about school (she has just moved from a state primary to a private school) and said how much she loves being there, but hates maths. I asked her why and she said she is so stupid at maths she just can't do it.

I must admit, she has always struggled a little bit with numbers, but nothing major and I think in the main she does very well and can count back/forwards, count in twos and they have started them on adding and subtracting larger numbers, all of which she can do without a number line etc. The sort of thing she struggles with are when you have a number and a ? with a total i.e. 14 - ? = 9 or vice versa, if I show her how to work it out she can, but doesn't think through for herself.

I am sure some of it is to do with her moving schools and them doing things a different way (I don't think it is any harder than she had been doing at her other school), but I really don't want her to feel like she does and when we are doing homework, I can see her switching off completely.

We do some number games and have Education City, which she enjoys, but I would welcome any advice to help her feel better about things. My otherhalf suggested we get someone to help her, but I feel that she is still a little too young for this.

We have a parents evening after the half term and of couse I will mention this, but any help would be appreciated.

Thank you.

maybe practise for 5 minutes every day. Maybe 5 or 10 sums. Start with easy ones.

Little and often can make a big difference. Buy a mini white board with easy-wipe pens so she can easily correct any mistakes.

See if you can source the game Animal SuDoku. The logic is similar to what you are talking about with the ? but it uses pictures of animals. then she can progress to kids SuDoku which only has 4x4 squares.

Ooh, DS was exactly the same in Y2, and I really couldn't understand it (and nor could his teacher who said he was doing very well).

I eventually decided it was down to him being in a group with the very able children - although DS was doing well too, he obviously felt that he wasn't doing as well as those around him. Also, although DS is very good at understanding mathematical principles he was slow at e.g. number bonds - still counting on his fingers!! We did a little practice at home (mathematical based games, not worksheets ...) and he's got a bit faster which really helped his confidence.

Between Y2 and Y3 he went from maths being his worst subject to his best subject ...

Thanks for your help. Yes it is early days and perhaps I am expecting too much!

Like the idea of Animal Suduko.

Red Sky, that gives me hope.

She was on Education City today and I was so pleased she did several maths puzzles, getting 100% in a few, 90 and 80. Seemed to prefer the maths ones to the Literacy ones, which is her strong point!

I need to chill!!!!

DS is in Y2 now, and I don't think he finds numbers easy but his teacher said that he is where he should be. Looking at KS1 expectations I thought he was a bit behind though. Some things just won't click, e.g. he does a game on place value (1s, 10s and 100s) easily, but in another context he doesn't seem to know . One day he calculates up to 20 and beyond easily and the very next day finds it frustrating.

We do a bit every day now. I find getting very good at easy calculations, e.g. Alian Addition on the Topmarks website and others helps him to think further and is also good for his confidence. He also likes the BBC KS1 website with Molly, there is a game that shows multiplication very clearly which they have just started on and I want to make sure he understands how it works.

I will also look at Education City too.