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Message Things to remember ifyou struggle with maths.Maths doesn’t have to be scary!

Maths is fun!bdadyslexia.org.uk | Registered charity in England and Wales (289243).

bdadyslexia.org.uk | Registered charity in England and Wales (289243).Making mistakes in maths is great! It means you’re learning something new and your brain is growing more connections.You don’t have to be fast at maths to be good at it. Did you know Albert Einstein, a famous mathematician, almost gave up because he felt silly in school for not doing maths quickly?Playing games can help you learn maths in a fun way. You can play board games, dice games, darts, dominoes, or games with playing cards to help you remember maths facts. You can even play games by yourself—let your favourite characters play each other or try to beat your own score!It’s okay to tell your teacher, teaching assistant, or parents if you find maths hard. Just like climbing a ladder, if the steps are too far apart, it’s tough to reach the top. But with a little help, you can do it!At home, you can be the teacher and teach your parents. They might have learned maths differently than you, so explaining what you’re learning can help you both understand better.

Even if maths feels hard sometimes, keep trying! Learning to overcome challenges will make you better at solving problems.If you have dyslexia or dyscalculia, remembering math facts like times tables can be tough. Using dot patterns or arrays can help because they use a different part of your memory and help you “see” the facts.The numbers 6-9 can be tricky! But thinking of them as “5 plus something” can make adding, subtracting, and doubling them much easier.+ + + + +bdadyslexia.org.uk | Registered charity in England and Wales (289243).

Pairs that make 10 – most people know that 5 + 5 makes 10! Learning all the number pairs that add up to 10 can really help with maths. People who seem great at maths have usually just found smart shortcuts! Instead of counting up or down by 1s, they break numbers into smaller parts. Instead of solving 9 + 5 think of it as 10 + 4 because it’s easier. You can see why this works by using dot cards or other objects.bdadyslexia.org.uk | Registered charity in England and Wales (289243).95+10 + 4

Some people also use facts they already know to figure out new ones. For example: If you know that 6 × 5 = 30, then you can figure out that 7 × 5 must be 5 more (because it’s one more group of 5). Since 30 + 5 is easy, you quickly get 35. And guess what? Because of the magic of maths, 5 × 7 is also 35!If you are having trouble understanding what a word problem is asking you to do, you might find it useful to draw a picture or diagram.The purple spaceship has 9 aliens and the orange spaceship has 5 aliens. How many more aliens does the purple spaceship hold?bdadyslexia.org.uk | Registered charity in England and Wales (289243).4

If it’s tricky draw a piccie!bdadyslexia.org.uk | Registered charity in England and Wales (289243).

bdadyslexia.org.ukHelpline: 0333 405 4567National service for people with dyslexia and dyscalculia and those who support them. It offers free and confidential information, support and signposting. Email: helpline@bdadyslexia.org.ukSocials: DM Facebook or InstagramRegistered charity in England and Wales (289243).