Time pressure and stress can significantly impact children's ability to perform critical thinking tasks in math. Under stress, the brain's cognitive resources are diverted toward managing anxiety rather than problem-solving, which can hinder working memory and focus. As a result, kids may struggle to think through complex problems, make careless mistakes, or resort to simpler, less effective strategies to cope with time pressure. Additionally, stress can reduce creativity and flexibility in thinking, making it harder for them to approach problems from different angles or think critically. Overall, time pressure and stress negatively affect both performance and confidence in solving math tasks.