Math Anxiety Presentation at Linden Meadows School

On January 30, 2026, TOYBOX had the privilege of attending Dr. Skwarchuk’s presentation on math anxiety at Linden Meadows School. We learned a lot about supporting kids with math anxiety and working on it ourselves!

Nume and Tegwen presenting on math anxiety!

Here’s a short summary of what was presented!

• The Count Me In project conducted at Linden Meadows school from 2005-2009 found 3 predictors of math abilities: language, quantitative awareness, and working memory. This work has contributed to science (cited in other academic work 1172 times)!

• Math anxiety exists all over the world! It affects math performance. And it affects adults too!

• Catch the anxiety early! Set children up for success before school even starts by intervening with anxiety and practicing numeracy content knowledge – it has positive prolonged outcomes!

• Learners need accurate feedback about performance to develop a sense of their skillset and challenges, and to make goals. Be realistic but focus on growth!

• Give children clear messages! Learning can be hard, but they will continue to grow as they work at it. Parents and teachers should show children that they still have things to learn too!

• Working with math anxiety is hard, it’s important to develop skills that work for you to unplug and recharge after difficult situations.

Words are powerful and communication is important in children’s learning – Here’s some things you can say to cultivate a growth mindset in kids:

1. “It’s okay if you don’t get it yet.”

2. “You just need more practice.”

3. “It might take longer, take your time.”

4. “I understand your frustration. Let’s work together!”

5. “Thank you for asking. I think this one’s tricky too.”

How can you support yourself while helping kids with math anxiety?

• Unplug from the problem. Don’t take it personally. Children are upset about the situation and not you!

• How to unplug? Figure out what’s bothering you. Take the time for yourself. Promise yourself rewards.

• Respond caringly - give children options or try redirecting their focus. Acknowledge their anxiety and try to help them understand it!

• Try to identify small next steps, take it slow, learning takes time!

Check out the numeracy activities on our website to find ideas about how to incorporate numeracy into your daily routine and to get kids excited to learn about math!

Written by: Tegwen and Trisha