Many hold this belief, but it’s not quite accurate!
Moreover, this idea can hinder your child’s maths learning.
Here’s why.

Have a look at the attached GIF!

When I created The Maths Tree, I asked WIKI to list all maths areas (or branches), and it came up with 459!

School maths covers a few dozen.

And…

🟣 Only one branch of maths (arithmetic) deals with numbers and basic operations between them!

So, the notion that ‘maths is about numbers’ is far from accurate.

Furthermore, it can hinder children’s maths learning.

And here’s why.

Children’s brains find numbers much easier to handle than abstract objects (e.g. letters representing variables in algebra). Instead of helping kids embrace the abstract side of maths and understand that maths extends far beyond numbers, the notion that ‘maths is about numbers’ only encourages them to keep seeking ways to calculate numbers. This leads to frustration when dealing with algebra and other areas of school maths beyond the primary level, where the need to work with numbers is practically absent!

To help children overcome their inclination to work only with simple numbers, we must inspire them to think and recognise the practicality in maths.

❗ At that point, the abstract stops feeling abstract!

They need to understand that maths equips us with valuable tools (formulas and methods that use letters and symbols) to calculate useful things in real-life situations—useful in both their present and future lives.

No, maths is not just about numbers.

Maths is about…

And, by the way, many people have different opinions!

❓What do you think maths is truly about?

Feel free to share your views with me!

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🟪 I help children excel in mathematics.
🟪 I share proven ideas on how to effectively help children with mathematics.
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📢 Feel free to contact me directly to discuss your child’s progress in mathematics.