Encouraging Persistence and Positive Attitudes toward Math

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From an early age, children engage with the world in mathematical ways鈥攆rom comparing the size of different toys, to singing songs that follow a repeating pattern, to dividing a treat evenly among friends.
As teachers, it鈥檚 our job to encourage young children鈥檚 math learning by providing fun, playful, and developmentally appropriate activities. This helps children experience mathematics in engaging ways and fosters learning by developing positive feelings and attitudes toward math.
Yet we often hear messages from adults that can reinforce math anxiety: 鈥淚鈥檓 not a math person鈥 or 鈥淒on鈥檛 worry, math was hard for me too.鈥 Comments like these tell children that there are people who can do math and people who can鈥檛. But that鈥檚 not true!
We want all children to have can-do attitudes about math. Because if they think they don鈥檛 have 鈥渕ath brains,鈥 they may easily give up and not invest time and effort in learning math.
It鈥檚 important for young children to learn that solving all kinds of challenging problems鈥攊n school and at home鈥攔equires effort, persistence, and the willingness to make mistakes and learn from them.
Here are some ideas for creating a classroom culture that encourages positive feelings toward math, values hard work, and supports children in tackling challenges head-on.
Embrace a positive attitude
Children observe and learn from everything teachers do. Model enjoyment, curiosity, and eagerness to try new things鈥攁nd fearlessness about making mistakes. A positive attitude toward learning can be contagious. If you show how much you like playing with math, children will enjoy it too!
Read picture books, chant mantras, and initiate discussions
Picture books, mantras (words or phrases repeated to help concentration), and daily discussions about learning can reinforce the importance of working hard and staying positive.
Read the classic book听The Little Engine That Could, by Watty Piper, to start a discussion about accomplishing difficult tasks. 鈥淚 think I can鈥擨 think I can鈥擨 think I can,鈥 says the Little Blue Engine as she chugs up the hill. This story sets the stage for talking about the role effort plays in learning, how it feels when we do things that are hard for us, and how important it is to keep trying.
Children love reciting the Little Blue Engine鈥檚 mantra, 鈥淚 think I can,鈥 to help them not give up. Did you know that mantras are often used by runners to get themselves over the finish line?
Read the bilingual English/Spanish minibook听听about a little girl who wants to swing from one end of the monkey bars to the other, but keeps falling. Her sister tells her to keep trying and encourages her to make progress toward her goal.
Teachers can help children recognize the in-between steps they make on the way to achieving their individual goals. Talk about learning as a process鈥攁 series of efforts and accomplishments鈥攁nd how through hard work and persistence, they can reach their goals.
I鈥檝e changed the way I present activities鈥擨鈥檓 super excited about math now. The children love it when I say, 鈥榊ay, a new math game!鈥 I don鈥檛 think I ever presented math in such a happy, positive way before. . . . Children want to be involved because they understand that I like math, too. I used to think, 鈥業鈥檓 not a math person,鈥 but I wasn鈥檛 thinking about how my feelings came across to the children.
鈥擟harity, Worcester, MA
Highlight learning, effort, and persistence every day
Circle time is a good place to have daily learning discussions that emphasize effort and perseverance. Explain that school is a place where it鈥檚 important to try new things and not worry about mistakes. Don鈥檛 forget to mention new skills you are personally working on鈥攂aking bread, practicing yoga, learning a new language. Children might be surprised that learning something new requires effort and hard work from everyone鈥攅ven teachers!
Throughout the week, notice what individual children are working hard at and what new skills and knowledge they are learning (like learning about patterns or building a tower with blocks). Remind children about their hard work using specific examples, and point out the small steps they have taken along the way to achieving their goals.
At the end of each day, ask children questions that emphasize the role of effort in the learning process: 鈥淲hat did you do today that was difficult for you?,鈥 鈥淲hat new thing did you try today?鈥
Connect children鈥檚 efforts to their pride in accomplishing goals
Each child is different. A challenging task for one child may be too easy for another. Like Goldilocks, help children find math activities that are 鈥渏ust right鈥 for them. But resist the urge to 鈥渇ix鈥 challenging problems or tasks鈥攊t can take away from children鈥檚 confidence that they are capable of figuring things out on their own.
Help children notice their positive feelings when accomplishing challenging tasks: 鈥淚 saw you working really hard on that pattern puzzle! How do you feel now?鈥 For children who give an enthusiastic 鈥淚 did it!,鈥 you could say, 鈥淲ow! You feel really proud when you do something new and challenging!鈥
For those who experienced a bumpy road on the way to accomplishing their goals, comment, 鈥淭hat was a challenging puzzle and you wanted to give up, but you stuck with it! Now you feel really good about yourself!鈥 The key here is to notice and encourage those feelings of accomplishment, satisfaction, and pride that come from working hard.
Teacher Tips for Book Reading and Discussion
When you read听The Little Engine That Could, encourage children to notice that
- The little engine was small鈥攋ust like them! But even though she was small, she believed she could do big things.
- The little engine tried something she had never done before.
- The little engine kept going, even when it was really difficult.
- The little engine was proud of herself for trying: 鈥淚 thought I could!鈥
More tips
For more tips on encouraging persistence during challenging activities, see 鈥Mastery Motivation: Persistence and Problem Solving in Preschool."
More math games
What could be more fun than playing games? Find a treasure trove of math games in the Oct/Nov 2017, Dec 2017/Jan 2018, Feb/Mar 2018, and Apr/May 2018 issues of听TYC!
This information has been adapted from听Games for Young Mathematicians, a program of research in early mathematics at the Education Development Center (EDC), supported by funding from the National Science Foundation and the Heising-Simons Foundation. For more math information and games, visit听.

STANDARD听2: CURRICULUM
2B:听Social and Emotional Development
2F:听Early Mathematics
Photographs: Courtesy of听EDC
Jessica Mercer Young听is a research scientist and developmental and educational psychologist specializing in early learning at
Kristen E. Reed,听project director at EDC, has worked as a teacher, curriculum developer, professional development facilitator, and researcher. For more ways to make math engaging, challenging, and fun, visit .听[email protected]