Why so Many Children Find Maths Difficult

Maths is one of those divisive subjects that students either love or loathe. At some point every student (and many teachers) have lamented that maths is hard.

But objectively, this subject area is no more difficult than others. So where does the dislike come from, and how can better primary school maths worksheets be a solution?

What’s the problem?

Students’ struggles with maths could be attributable to several causes. Most common among them are:

Dyscalculia

A learning difficulty like dyslexia for numbers. Students struggle to understand number concepts, formulas and shapes.

Difficulty relating to the content

Maths is inherently abstract. Students learn better when they are interested in the content, so primary school maths worksheets should use relevant, real-world examples to engage students.

Right and wrong is frustrating

Students who ‘get it’ enjoy maths, and those who don’t quickly become stressed because their answers are wrong. As a cumulative subject, this means their progress quickly falls behind.

Rote learning vs problem solving

Most primary school maths worksheets focus on memorising formulas, rather than building critical thinking and abstract reasoning skills.

Solving the difficulty equation

As maths teachers, here at Matharoo we like to use reason and logic to solve problems. What teachers and parents are facing is an unbalanced equation: on one side is maths’ abstract nature, frustration with right and wrong, and unrelatable content. On the other is students’ curiosity and rapid development.

The solution, then, is weaving relevant examples into maths problems that present a puzzle beyond just numbers.

Matharoo maths worksheets for primary school students do just that. Using pop culture problem solving to teach Curriculum content, our weekly worksheets help teachers and parents to break down the barriers to maths learning.

Access is easy: you can download a free sample worksheet today to make maths easy in the classroom and at home.