Tests can be stressful for the most prepared students, and unfortunately, test anxiety can have a negative impact on their performance. Just telling your child not to worry doesn’t work. Parents can help, however, by encouraging their children to find ways of relaxing and by helping them prepare adequately before test-taking.
Taking a series of five deep breaths as a way of calming the body and mind at the first signs of stress can go long way for children (and their parents). Helping your child with time management also goes a long way. There’s nothing worse than cramming for a test, so preparing beforehand (a little each day) will definitely reduce their anxiety. Children’s self-confidence grows a great deal once they become familiar with the material.
Here are several techniques to ease your child’s test-taking anxiety. - Communicate frequently with your child’s teacher. Be familiar with the content they are learning and the tests they are taking. Understand what students must do to earn a high grade.
- Monitor your child’s assignments and homework to see if he needs extra help. This gives him time before the test to work with the teacher one-on-one to understand the material better.
- Study smarter. Have your child make a list of everything he needs to learn and understand before the test so he can tackle one item at a time and feel confident as he goes.
- Turn off the TV, iPod, and computer. A quiet study environment enables children to absorb more information.
- Encourage a good night’s sleep. Children in elementary school need 9-10 hours each night, so getting only six hours of sleep because they were anxious at bedtime will have a negative affect.
- Visualize success. A great way to build their confidence (as they fall asleep) is to have them visualize themselves taking the test and doing well.
- Serve a healthy breakfast. Good nutrition helps the brain function at full capacity.
- Show them how to stay calm and breathe deeply. Stress can impair memory, which is the worst possible scenario during test-taking. Breathing exercises are very effective in reducing anxiety and relaxing the body and mind.
- Remind them to read the test directions carefully and check their work once they finish.
- Review tests with your children after they are returned home to understood what they did and didn’t learn or understand.
- Motivate your children, but don’t scare them. Help them see that their academic performance is not tied to parental love.
Reducing your child’s anxiety will enhance his study time and test-taking time. Parents who help their children overcome stress in elementary school will find their middle school and high school students deal with stress in a much more calm and productive way.
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