For some, stress can be debilitating and reduce performance when there is not balance between the level of stress and ways to manage it. With this increased focused on measurement and measuring up children needs some ways to cope with stress and parents and educators must lead the way to support them in this area.
- A basic stress management technique is focused breathing exercises. When anxiety or stress arises, have the child focus specifically on his or her breathe with conscious effort on the exhale.
When stress arises, the breath generally becomes shallower with limited release of the exhale. Engaging in focused breathing for several minutes multiple times a day or as needed will physically relax the body and allow the mind to be cleared of stressful thoughts. This is an ideal strategy to be using at the beginning of any testing situation.
- Use words of affirmation. That may sound simple but focusing on a successful outcome and positive skills set both the mind and body ready for success. Even if the desired goal is not achieved increased success and a positive attitude will improve the outcome.
Affirmations can be simple:
- My mind remembers all that I have studied and it will easily come back to me.
- I prepared to do my best
- I only have to focus my attention on one question at a time
- A practical test preparation strategy that can be done on a daily bases is to allow for individual problem solving. When your child has a problem or question, refrain from providing an immediate answer. First, provide probing questions.
- What do you think is the answer?
- Where do you think we might find the answer?
- What do you already know about that subject?
Once those or similar questions are posed, and then support the child with locating the desired information. Again this should be done in a guiding effort.
- Use the daily opportunities for mathematics and problem solving. As most tests have moved away from simple computation exercises to problem solving/word problems, the challenge comes for many children in application process. When presented with a basic problem, most children given adequate instruction are able to determine a successful solution but they fail to use verbal or written information to determine the steps to resolve a situation.
By asking the following questions, children can be successfully guided through the problem solving process.
- What is the problem?
- Do you know all the needed information to find a solution?
- How can you do to solve the problem?
- Reading and discussing a variety of information fosters reading comprehension and increased understanding. Non-fiction text such as newspapers, magazines, and website information provide many opportunities to read and gather new information on countless topics.
- Check for new unknown vocabulary as you read and use context clues or a dictionary to clarify understanding.
- Expand one's knowledge on a topic by gathering additional information from a variety of sources
- Form an opinion about gathered information and support your position with the researched sources
The week prior to testing:
- Begin increasing water intact to hydrate the body and increase brain function
- Practice breathing exercises
- Select one subject each day and spend a short period reviewing equations, formulas, and general concepts that were taught throughout the year
The night before and the big day:
- Take a warm bath or shower and get plenty of rest
- Rise early the day of testing to avoid rushing
- Eat a moderate breakfast with minimal carbohydrates and increased protein and fiber to decrease sugar fatigue and support stamina and brain function
Testing does not have to be a big scary event that creates physical and emotional turmoil for children. It can be embraced with care and successful given some mindful attention and preparation.
