*Find out what specific math bugaboo she may have, and address it. Monitor her homework to see where she’s getting things wrong, and confirm with a quick chat with her teacher. Check out resources to sharpen skills in that area, or simply use a real-life, hands-on example. If fractions are the offender, buy a chocolate bar that breaks into equal pieces and ask her to figure out fractions based on differing numbers of friends sharing the candy. For decimal dilemmas, collect a big bowl of money with lots of coins and some bills so she can experience how a base-ten number system works as well as practice real-life scenarios in spending and making correct change.

*Always model a math-positive attitude. “Never say, ‘Oh, I’m no good at math either,’” Jackson warns. As math classes get more complicated, many parents may need a little brush-up themselves. But if so, say something like, ‘I’m not sure how to answer this problem. But I’m sure we can work it out together if we review the material.’ If your daughter disses her own math abilities, remind her of other examples of how she learned something by practicing and persistence, such as riding a bike or playing an instrument.

*Consider hosting an occasional all-girl after-school math funfest, or a math-themed party. When girls are in an all-girl group, they are inclined to feel less self-conscious about making mistakes and have fun being themselves, notes Jackson. Try a book such as The Math Book for Girls (Kids Can Press, 2000) to inspire math games or plan a party in which girls create secret-code invitations, chart pizza preferences on a graph, and play probability games.

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