When your child says “I can't do maths”

5 November 2026 · Confidence, Mindset

“I'm rubbish at maths” can be heartbreaking to hear. It's also very common, and it usually means a child hit something tricky and decided it says something about them. The good news is that it can change.

Add the word “yet”

“I can't do fractions yet” is true and hopeful. It treats the difficulty as a step along the way, not a fixed fact about who they are.

Find the real gap

Maths builds on itself. A struggle with long division is often really a shaky grasp of times tables or place value underneath. Going back a step, without any fuss, usually fixes more than pushing forward.

Praise the thinking

“I like how you tried a different way.”
“You spotted your mistake. That's what mathematicians do.”
“That one was tricky, and you stuck with it.”

Make mistakes normal

Say your own mistakes out loud and show how you fix them. Children who see mistakes as information keep going; children who see them as failures stop.

Small wins matter

Start each session with something they can do, and end on a success. Confidence comes from lots of small, real wins.

quarter starts with a short check-up so the first questions are at the right level, and every question has a hint and worked steps, so being stuck is never the end of the road.