Building Adult Math Confidence: The Key to Strengthening Early Math Success

Summary of Insights

• Adults’ attitudes toward preschool math profoundly shape children’s early math confidence and achievement.
• Up to 25% of children experience math anxiety—and that discomfort often mirrors the emotions of the adults in their lives.
• When educators and families model curiosity, persistence, and playfulness around math, children learn to approach it with confidence and joy.
• Building adult math confidence begins with reflection, professional learning, and recognizing math in everyday routines.
• Strengthening adult math confidence is one of the most impactful ways early childhood leaders can promote lasting early math success.

The Hidden Influence of Adult Math Attitudes

During a recent training session on teaching math, I asked a group of preschool teachers to rate how much they agreed with a few statements on a scale from 1 to 10, statements such as “Teaching math is exciting,” and “Math was one of my favorite subjects in school.”

The results weren’t all that surprising—many teachers placed themselves on the lower end of the scale. Over the years, I’ve heard this same concern repeatedly from both teachers and instructional leaders: math can feel intimidating and hard. But that anxiety doesn’t just stay with the adults—it often finds its way into the classroom, where it can influence how children feel about math as well, with up to 25% of children experiencing some level of math anxiety.¹

Research shows that teachers’ anxiety about math can affect their students’ confidence and achievement in the subject. Similarly, parents who report high math anxiety when their children are in preschool often have children who struggle with numeracy skills later.^2,3 

What this tells us is that the adult mindset on math, how comfortable we feel with numbers, patterns, and problem-solving, matters a lot. It shapes not only how we teach math but also how children come to feel about it. If the adults around them approach math with tension or doubt, children often pick up on that same stress.

The good news? When adults model curiosity, patience, and a playful approach to math, children see it as something to explore and enjoy, not something to fear. Providing children with positive early experiences with math can set them up for greater confidence and success as they grow.

Building a Positive Math Mindset for Educators and Families

Changing the way we feel about math starts with a little self-reflection. For some of us, math sparks happy memories; it may have been an engaging, even joyful part of school. For others, though, math might bring up feelings of frustration, stress, or even dread. Taking the time to consider our “math stories” is a meaningful first step to developing a positive mindset toward math. When we understand our own experiences and feelings about math, we’re in a much better position to grow our confidence and support others in growing theirs.

An important starting point for building confidence is to begin noticing how often we use math throughout our day. Many daily activities, such as following the scheduled routine, making sure that each child has an equal snack portion, taking attendance, and sorting materials, involve math!  When given that lens, educators can see how capable they already are in using and teaching math.

Professional learning also plays a crucial role. Tools like the Erikson Early Math Collaborative and Learning Trajectories offer practical, developmentally grounded ways to strengthen content knowledge and learn strategies for teaching math.  When educators engage in continuous learning and reflection, they develop their skills and confidence in teaching math, which positively models math learning for the children in their classrooms as well.

Connecting Math to Daily Routines

One of my favorite parts of the recent “Strengthening Adult Math Confidence” webinar was the revelation that children engage in spontaneous math for almost half of every minute of free play.⁴ Think about that: nearly every moment offers an opportunity to notice, name, and nurture mathematical thinking with intention.

When we talk about “math learning,” it doesn’t have to mean formal lessons or worksheets. It’s in the Block area, where children compare heights and shapes. It’s at the snack table, where they count crackers or pour juice to the same level. It’s during cleanup time, when they sort toys by color or type.

For school leaders, encouraging teachers to recognize math in these daily routines can be transformational. It shifts math from a subject to be taught into a language to be spoken. And the more adults practice that language, the more naturally it flows into children’s play and exploration.

For more ways to recognize and nurture preschool math through everyday interactions, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) offers helpful guidance in their articles “Math Talk with Infants and Toddlers” and “Rocking and Rolling. Nurturing Early Math Play and Discovery.”

Family Engagement as a Confidence Multiplier

Just as educators’ attitudes influence classroom learning, families’ confidence with math shapes how children experience it at home. Family members who carry math anxiety may unintentionally pass it along through comments like “I was never good at math” or by avoiding math-related play.

The good news? That pattern can be broken. When families are encouraged to see preschool math in cooking, shopping, or storytelling, they begin to experience math as joyful and connected to everyday life. Simple, positive math talk—counting steps, comparing sizes, or identifying shapes—builds confidence for both adults and children.

Resources such as “How Parents Can Support Math Learning at Home” and “Myths of Early Math” provide families with practical strategies to turn daily routines into meaningful learning moments.

Math confidence doesn’t grow overnight, but it does grow through reflection, practice, and support. As early childhood leaders, we have the opportunity to help educators and families see themselves not as “non-math people,” but as capable guides in children’s mathematical journeys.

When adults feel confident exploring, talking about, and playing with math, children thrive. Confidence is contagious—and it starts with us.