Some kids face stress that makes them feel overwhelmed, anxious, and upset. This kind of stress is often related to test taking and it is not uncommon. This can help your child learn, focus, and grow but it can also make them feel so overwhelmed they can’t function. Test stress is real and your job as a parent is to help your child deal with test stress in a positive manner. These tips can help reduce stress and help your child learn from the experience.
Encourage Outside Play Time
Did you know that kids benefit tremendously from both exercise and sunlight? Exercise and sunlight both improve mood, so it is important to spend time outdoors. The Vitamin D and the endorphins gained from being active in the sunlight can help reduce stress and anxiety and help to focus. Encourage your child to spend a half hour outside every day; you will see a difference in mood and a significant decrease in anxiety.
Be a Good Example
Are you a high-stress type of person? If you are, you need to work on your own stress level before you start working on your kid’s stress level. Kids learn from you and it is vital to set a good example. Work on your breathing, exercise, spend time outside and take deep breaths before you panic. Make to-do lists, prioritize your agenda and create a routine that works for you. If you can minimize your own stress level, you can minimize your child’s.
Provide Structure
Kids thrive on structure. They need to have stability in their lives to ensure they’re able to be successful. The best way to ensure kids have structure is to implement a bedtime and healthy mealtimes. Kids need consistency to feel safe and secure and it allows them to feel less stressed. When kids don’t have structure or routine in their lives, they tend to feel more stressed than kids who have a routine.
If you’re looking for a way to implement a routine at home, it’s easier than it sounds. Create a bed time and a wake-up time each day. Require your kids do their homework and study at specific times either after school or before bed. Require them to complete their chores, and make sure they know what to expect out of each day. It’s helpful and kids thrive on routine.
Be Positive
If your child is stressed, it’s time to focus on his/her strengths. Point out how well your child does on his/her school work, how smart he/she is at figuring things out at home and other exceptional things that he/she does. Focusing on the positives can help kids focus on what’s important. They know their stress is unfounded, but they just need a gentle reminder that their lives are in control and they are able to succeed.
Remove Distractions
If your kids are worried about their tests and are showing signs of stress and anxiety, the best thing you can do for them is remove all distractions. This means turning off the television, the music, and taking their phones from them. When they have no distractions, they are more focused. When they are more focused, they are less stressed. Let your kids have a solid half hour without any distraction to help them ease their stress while they study.
Listen to Your Kids
Sometimes the best way you can help your child reduce stress before a test is to listen to them. He/she might not say what’s going on and that means you need to listen using other methods. Find out what he/she is stressed about, notice body language and attitude to see what’s bothering him/her.
Perhaps it’s not the test that’s bothering your child as much as it’s you that’s bothering them.
Did you put pressure on him/her regarding the test he/she is taking? Did you or his/her teacher say something that made him/her fear this test? Sometimes it has nothing to do with the test itself and has to do with outside factors. Listen to your child and try to find the real issues that he/she is facing.
Have Some Fun
Sometimes kids spend too much time focusing on tests and their studies that they forget to have fun. It’s time for you to make sure there is time for fun. Put the books down, get out of the house and have some family fun. Go to dinner, see a movie, head to the library, or engage in an evening of bowling. Do whatever you want, but make sure you all have fun.
These things go a long way toward relieving the stress and anxiety that your child feels. He/she might not be good at taking tests, but implementing these things into his/her lives prior to test taking can make a serious impact. It’s time for you to focus on how you can help your kids and stop focusing on making their tests seem even more important.
