We've all been there. Most of our homeschool subjects flow from one day to the next, from one year to the next.

But sometimes we encounter a subject that defies mastery.

If math is the "scary subject" in your house, read on.

You've tried so many things. This curriculum, that program, those shortcuts, but nothing seems to be working.

 Your student is frustrated. You're frustrated. Both of you feel like failures and their self-esteem is out the window.

 HANG ON. There could be a very easy explanation.

 What if the linear math curriculum you're trying to use doesn't fit the way your child learns?
 Answer these questions:

 Does your child:

•    have a vivid imagination now or when younger?
•    sometimes not hear you or seem to be a million miles away?
•    do things in a different order almost every time?
•    take things apart to find out how they work?
•    think time and order are unimportant, often being tardy and leaving a mess?
•    hang their head when you mention math?
•    feel inferior and think they must be broken?
•    put on a front to hide their feelings?

Sound familiar?

If your child is a right-brain learner, and you're trying to teach them left-brain math...

Well, no wonder you're both frustrated.

There is a better way to teach math from a right brain perspective.

Try these things:

Visual Learning: Don’t just tell me, show me! Many children respond to visual learning when simply explaining is not understandable for them. 
 
Discovering Secrets: By allowing each child to discover patterns their learning becomes their own. By using varying charts to prove how and why number relationships are consistent this understanding makes memorizing easy.
 
Varied practice pages: First learn the skill and then drill with simple pages of equations increasing in difficulty. This helps them catch-up if they are behind. But remember, repeated practice pages can be frustrating. They may say, “I did that already!”  So try varying the format as a different challenge.
 
Colorful Activities: For some children, black and white is OK, but right-brain learners love color. Try using color charts.
 
People Oriented: If your child learns better from a right-brain learning style, they respond well to approval. Applaud every milestone, even the ones that seem small.
 
Loving Challenges:  One strong characteristic in a right-brain learner is how appealing challenges are to them. They may find different ways to do things, avoid routine, take things apart to discover how they work, figure things out without reading instructions, create ways to make things work. Offer up an interesting challenge related to math.
 
Incorporate one or two, or all, of these ideas into your everyday math lessons and watch the magic.

No more anxiety over math. No more despair at not keeping up. No more crushed self-esteem.

Give right-brain math a try today.

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Evelyn Fannin is the author, publisher, and video producer of Cool Tools Math. A former teacher and mom of 7, she has tutored many children struggling with math. From her experiences helping right-brain learners not only grasp basic concepts but enjoy the process, she developed her courses so kids who learn differently don’t have to feel sad or defeated over math. As she watched her students' understanding grow, she saw their self-esteem soar! You can discover more at cooltoolsmath.net