The mere mention of the word "mathematics" can cause anxiety and trigger unusual behavior in some children. Known as mathematics anxiety, this learned behavior, experienced by many and occurring at all levels, can escalate and become worse over time if not addressed. Parents can play a significant role in their child's mathematical learning. This article will help parents identify mathematics anxiety and its effects on learning, discover its causes, and offer suggestions for preventing or reducing mathematics anxiety in children.

What is Mathematics Anxiety?
Mathematics anxiety has been defined in a variety of ways. More than a dislike toward mathematics, Smith (1997) characterized mathematics anxiety as an uneasiness when asked to perform mathematically (think of dividing up the restaurant check). People experience feelings of tension, physical sickness, faintness, dread and/or panic when asked to perform mathematical tasks. It is an irrational fear of mathematics that can range from a simple discomfort associated with numerical operations to total avoidance of mathematics and mathematics classes (Mathison, 1977). Tobias (1980) described mathematics anxiety as the "I can't" syndrome. She stated that people get feelings of uneasiness and mental disorganization when asked to perform mathematical problems, often developing a fatalistic attitude toward mathematics. Mathematics anxiety is debilitating in nature and can interfere with mathematics performance and inhibit subsequent learning.

Where Does It Come From? What Really Causes It?
Many times parents are responsible for their child's mathematics anxiety. Parents sometimes fear the subject themselves and pass this along to their children inadvertently. According to Burns (1998), parents are often to blame for their children's fear of mathematics. Adults often complain about their own inadequacies or negative experiences in mathematics in front of their children. It is not uncommon to hear parents say, "Oh, I was never good at mathematics and just couldn't get it," or, "I could never do math either and hated it." Mathematics anxious parents will result in mathematics anxious children.

Inappropriate educational practices can also cause mathematics anxiety in children. Traditional teaching practices that focus primarily on rote memorization of facts, insistence on only using one method for problem solving, teaching from the textbook problem by problem, and/or lack of applied activities creates more math phobics (Woodard, 2004). Too much emphasis is placed on memorizing formulas, learning mathematics through drill and practice, and applying rote rules. Many of those charged with teaching children often fail to detect a child's lack of understanding of the mathematical material being taught. When this lack of understanding occurs, children often experience frustration and failure and inevitably become mathematically anxious (Gresham, 2004).