Key takeaways
- In a 2026 study of 390 Class IX students in six government schools in Salem, Tamil Nadu, three out of four students felt at least some worry about maths: 24% had high maths anxiety, and 50% had moderate anxiety, while only 26% were in the low-anxiety group [Menaga Sri and Perumal, International Journal of Education and Science, 2026].
- Only 29% of Class 9 students answered percentage questions correctly in the national PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024, which assessed more than 2.1 million students [The Federal, 15 July 2025].
- Among 98 middle schoolers in Vadodara, Gujarat, the children who saw more everyday activities as “maths” scored better on a maths anxiety scale, meaning they felt less worried about the subject [CogSci 2025].
Table of contents
- What Research Tells Us About Maths Anxiety Among Students
- Can Game-Based Learning Reduce Maths Anxiety?
- How Teachers Can Make Maths Lessons Less Stressful with Games
- How to Build a Maths Product for Anxious Students
- To Conclude
- FAQs
Many Indian children are afraid of maths, and anyone building a maths product for schools needs to understand that fear. Maths anxiety is the worry, tension, or urge to avoid the subject that some students feel when they face numbers. It can affect even those who understand the concepts.
The key question is whether your product helps students overcome maths anxiety or addresses gaps in their basic maths skills. These two problems are connected, but they need different solutions. A game that helps students understand fractions may not necessarily make an anxious child feel more comfortable with maths.
In this blog, we explore maths anxiety in Indian schools, how games address it, and what we still need to learn.
What Research Tells Us About Maths Anxiety Among Students
When researching maths anxiety statistics for India, most of what turns up is from small studies from one state or city. Two recent ones are worth a closer look.
A 2026 study of 270 students in Classes IX and X in West Bengal found that the more anxious students were about maths, the lower they scored (r = −0.87), which is a very strong link. Students in government schools also reported more anxiety than those in private schools (International Journal of Trends in Emerging Research and Development, 2026).
A study published in August 2025 surveyed 434 Class X students in Jammu and saw the same pattern: higher anxiety went with lower scores (Kumari and Kumar, Educational Quest, 2025).
Where the studies split is school type. In West Bengal, government-school students were more anxious than private-school students. In Jammu, the two groups didn’t differ in any meaningful way.
Both studies found that students who are more anxious about maths tend to score lower. Who feels that anxiety most might depend on the kind of school they go to. To know how common the problem is, studies from more states and age groups are required.
Can Game-Based Learning Reduce Maths Anxiety?
For many children, maths is the subject they dread most. A wrong answer in front of the class or a topic built on something they never understood can turn a simple sum into a worry. Games might help by changing how practice feels, though what follows is a case built from small findings, not a proven result.
Where games could take the edge off
- Practice becomes private. A wrong answer in a well-built game means another attempt, with no marks lost and no classmates watching.
- Mistakes turn into information. Instant feedback in a game shows a child what went wrong, which can help solve the pending problem.
- Every child plays at their own pace. In a 2024 pilot at a government school in Bengaluru, children played a maths game and some board games, like Snakes & Ladders, for six months.
Each child moved up the game’s levels at their own speed, so those who were ready could go ahead without waiting, and those who needed more time were not rushed. A lot of students ended up learning more than the syllabus asked of them (Jayaraman, Sundar and Shankar, 2024).
So, can games help?
Yes, they can, and one reason is easy to miss: games can change what a mistake means. In a normal maths class, a wrong answer feels like a verdict on the child. In a game, losing a round or repeating a level is just part of playing, so a child can get things wrong without feeling “bad at maths.”
That shift matters because maths anxiety is often less about the sums than about the fear of being judged for getting them wrong.
A second benefit is that games can reveal who is struggling without putting anyone on the spot. Anxious children often stay quiet instead of asking for help. A game that tracks progress quietly can show a teacher who is stuck, so help can reach the child before the worry grows.
But the evidence so far is still small, so games are a promising way to make maths feel safer, not a proven cure.
How Teachers Can Make Maths Lessons Less Stressful with Games
A study of Indian classrooms looked at what happens when maths is taught through play and stories. The study surveyed 600 students from Classes 6 to 10 across 30 schools in five states. Students who learned maths through games and stories were less anxious about it, and they paid more attention in class.
Points and badges made practice feel easier to face. A wrong answer was just a wrong answer, and they could try again.
Turn problems into little stories. Instead of writing a bare sum on the board, put it inside a short story. For example, a shopkeeper has to give the right change to a customer, or a village is planning a fair and needs to work out how much food to buy. Let students work on it in pairs or small groups.
Give points for more than just right answers. Give a point when a team works well together, when a child explains an idea to a friend, or when someone tries a hard question. When trying to earn credit, children stop being so afraid of getting it wrong. A mistake then feels like part of the game, not a failure.
Most children don’t fear maths because they can’t do it. They fear being wrong in front of everyone. A teacher can change that without any budget, just by changing how the lesson feels.
- Let mistakes be normal. Put a common wrong answer on the board and ask the class why so many people get it wrong. When mistakes become something the whole room learns from, nobody has to hide them.
- Give children time to think. After asking a question, pause for a few seconds before taking an answer. Or ask everyone to write down their attempt first, and only then call on someone. This way, the fastest students don’t set the pace for the whole class, and slower thinkers get a fair chance to work it out.
- Keep marks private. Return papers quietly. Don’t read out ranks or put game scores on the board. A child who is already struggling doesn’t need the whole class to know it.
- Use pairs and small groups. Two or three children working on one problem together can say “I’m stuck” out loud to a friend, which is easier than saying it to the whole class. Change the groups once in a while so the same child isn’t always the helper or the one being helped.
- Add a game now and then. A simple pair game, like Snakes & Ladders with maths questions or Bingo with place-value cards, makes practice feel like play. The point isn’t the game itself. It’s that children get quick feedback, can make mistakes without embarrassment, and explain things to each other.
- Watch your tone. This matters more than any activity. Children notice whether the teacher sounds patient or irritated when someone gets it wrong. A calm “let’s look at this together” does more to lower stress than any trick.
How to Build a Maths Product for Anxious Students
Most maths games sold as a cure for anxiety are really practice tools with a friendly look, and the evidence does not yet support the bigger promise. The products worth backing start with the anxious child, not the average one. Here is what that means in practice.
- Build around the topics students find hardest. Fractions, percentages and number sets are where Indian students struggle most. They are also specific enough to design levels around, which makes the product easier to explain to a teacher.
- Keep the pressure low. In the national PARAKH survey, fewer than half of students said they felt comfortable talking to someone when they were stressed or upset [The Federal, 15 July 2025].
Many anxious children will never tell you how they feel, so the product itself has to take the pressure off. A solo drill with a score and a countdown timer repeats the exam stress you are trying to remove, and playing in pairs or small groups is a better starting point.
- Fit the new CBSE structure. From 2026-27, Class 9 maths has a compulsory standard level alongside an optional advanced one, according to a PTI report in ThePrint. A product that maps clearly to the standard level will be easier for a school to say yes to.
- Measure anxiety in your pilot. Pair a short, validated anxiety scale with a basic maths test, before and after. That way you will know whether children are learning more, feeling calmer, or both.
To Conclude
The maths anxiety in Indian schools is easy to overlook, because a worried child often looks like a quiet or “weak” student. It can take away a child’s confidence long before it shows up in marks. That is why it deserves attention from schools, parents and anyone building products for them.
Games can help, because they let children practise without the fear of being marked wrong in front of the class. But a game does not calm a nervous child just by being a game. It works when it is gentle, lets children try again without penalty, and makes room for them to learn alongside others.
Book a 30-minute India readiness call with IME to test your maths product against what Indian schools are asking for. Learn more on our Services page.
FAQs
How do we know our product reduces anxiety, and doesn’t just give children more practice?
Don’t rely on test scores alone. Ask the children how they feel about maths before and after, and run a simple maths check alongside it. That shows you whether they are calmer, more capable, or both.
Do we need a separate product for anxious students?
Probably not. Low stakes, no public scoreboards, and the chance to try again help every child. A product labelled for “anxious” students can single children out in front of their classmates.
How should we talk about anxiety when we meet at schools?
Skip the medical words. Teachers respond better to ideas like helping children feel confident and at ease with maths. Show them the product as something that makes their job easier, not as a treatment for their students.
Who decides to use a maths game or not: the school, the teacher or the parent?
The school makes the purchase, but the teacher decides whether it actually gets used. Make it easy to fit into a lesson without extra preparation, and give school leaders a clear reason to say yes.
How do we win over parents who worry about screen time?
Keep sessions short and tell parents plainly what the game is for. They relax when they see it supports what the school is already teaching and isn’t just more time on a device.
