How talking about maths suddenly became easier – The Toast Model from a parent’s perspective

Published 4th June 2025

I am reposting this article written by a volunteer for the charity Maths on Toast as I think it is really very helpful for parents to see how they can very easily support their children ! Have fun!

How talking about maths suddenly became easier – The Toast Model from a parent’s perspective

6 March 2019

A parent who regularly attends our events has been trying out the Toast Model at home. Read on to hear first-hand the impact it is having on their learning…

My daughter was at the table, pen in hand, trying to figure out a maths activity. It was supposed to be fun – learning fun. But tension was rising. It wasn’t plain sailing, or maybe she wasn’t in the mood. She might burst out or give up at any moment, and I just don’t want these small incidents to accumulate, as they undermine confidence.

This has happened before, and I know we are not the only ones! It happens with friends too, for all sorts of reasons. Pushy parents forging ambitions before the child is ready… Parents bemused by the school’s new ways of teaching…

I used to find it difficult to defuse the situation quickly enough. But no need this time. My daughter just turned around and incredibly calmly said: ‘Mama, where is that circle chart again?’ I held my breath, took a sheet out from a pile of papers: ‘Do you mean this one, with the blue and green and red colours, The Growth Zone Model?’ ‘Yes that one! See, Mama, this problem is here, in the red zone. I need something a bit easier first.’.

That was it. No tears, no sinking heart, no walking away. And on my side, no ‘Oh dear, what have I done again?’.

Since then ‘our’ diagram is still on the fridge. My daughter coloured the challenge zone in blue, her favourite colour, on the grounds that ‘that’s where we want to be when we learn’. She also renamed the ‘threat zone’ to the ‘red zone’ because after all, it is just uncharted territory that will some day be conquered. I really liked how she changed her outlook that way. Maybe one day a mighty obstacle will remind us that the model dealt with a threat feeling, but for now we prefer not to.

And of course, the red zone is infinite, we will enjoy a whole life of learning, hopefully!

We found the Toast Model to be a simple but beautiful concept:

It’s a great addition to illustrate how we all need to go through challenges. My daughter loves to show with large hand gestures how much her comfort zone has expanded since she was born, absorbing this and that, from swimming to maths problems!
It’s proved a powerful tool to help recognise and say when things are too hard, safe in the knowledge that it’s a natural part of life. So that we can re-adjust, take a few extra steps on the way, and preserve the eagerness to learn and confidence of everyone involved.

Read more about the Toast Model.

The Toast Model

Can getting better at maths be about feelings, not facts?

Introducing the Toast Model for growing your maths brain

Here at Maths on Toast we want everyone to love doing maths. But we often get asked what to do when you (parent or child!) get stuck with some maths. Actually, most mathematicians are stuck most of the time – it’s how you feel about being stuck that can make all the difference.

As long as you’re not feeling panicked about it, being stuck is good for your brain. One way to think about that is the Toast Zone model.

You can find out more about how to work with children in the different Zones, and about the research behind the model, below.

Toasty tips for supporting your children and their feelings in each Zone:

Jam Zone
Activities where children feel confident and are successful but not challenged.

Be proud of success – has your child always been able to do this kind of maths?
Identify the value in the maths itself and in the learning skills that got them here. But if it’s not challenging for your child, try something harder!

Toast Zone
Where new learning happens. Learners need to take risks so they may make mistakes. Hopefully with the right resources and support they will feel confident enough to be able to persevere, acquire new skills and gain even more confidence.

Remember that support isn’t about providing, or even checking, the answer. It is about helping your child to find it for themselves, Your role is that of coach or supporter. If you don’t understand or remember the actual maths yourself, that needn’t matter.
Show positive attitudes towards maths. Even if you are finding the question challenging yourself, the feelings you show your child can support them to tackle the problem.

A ‘can do’ approach – everyone is capable of increasing their mathematical ability!
Empathy if it’s hard; that’s part of the learning. Praise resilience.
Support for mistakes – they are there to learn from.

Try some of these prompts if your child seems stuck. Even when you are feeling unsure of the maths involved in the question, helping your child think about it differently could well be enough to help ‘unstick’ them:

Have you encountered this type of problem before?
What parts of the problem do you understand?
Can you explain the problem to me?
What have you tried already?
What has helped you get unstuck in the past?
How else could you represent the problem?
Would it help to act out the problem?
Would a picture or a diagram help solve the problem?
Can you reword the problem and explain it in a different way?
Would any specific resources help you, such as counters, cubes, a number line etc?

What about when you’re not there? Encourage children to work with a friend, in a group or ask for one-to-one help when they need it.

Off the edge
When we’re challenged beyond our current level of resilience we may find ourselves Off the edge. If your child is feeling helpless or upset, effective learning cannot take place.

Help children recognise when they are feeling anxious. They will need to de-stress before the can return to the Toast Zone.
Some de-stressing techniques might be:
- Writing down, drawing or talking about, how they feel.
- Using breathing techniques. (For example, closing eyes, breathing out for 7 seconds and in for 5.)
- Reminding them what they can do by doing another activity in their comfort zone.

The research that inspired the Toast Zone Model

The Toast Model is inspired by Sue Johnston-Wilder’s Growth Zone Model (Johnston-Wilder et al, 2015) – which is a framework for understanding different learning experiences and the feelings associated with each. The Growth Zone Model also has strong links to Growth Mindset (Carol Dweck 2012). Many schools will be aware, of or have implemented aspects of, growth mindset, so you might find that children are familiar with the ideas, language and strategies, which is great! Indeed, some schools will be actively involving parents too. However for many parents this will be a completely new concept – so here are some key points to note…

To develop Mathematical Resilience you need to:

Believe that brain capacity can be ‘grown’
Understand ‘the point’ of mathematics – how it is everywhere in our everyday.
Understand how to work at mathematics – even when you are stuck!
Know you have support from; resources, school, family

References:
– Johnston-Wilder, S. Lee, C., Brindley, J., & Garton, E. Developing Mathematical Resilience in school-students who have experienced repeated failure (2015)
– Mindset: How You Can Fulfil Your Potential, Professor Carol Dweck (2012)
Useful links to find out more…
– Ted Talk by Carol Dweck ‘The power of believing you can improve’
– Mathematical Resilience Network