Pencils Down: Helping Kids Overcome Test Anxiety | By: Emilie Coulter by Emilie Coulter Stomachaches, headaches, reluctance to go to school, outbursts of tears or anger, sweaty palms… Big worries, little people Children, some as young as kindergarten-age, suffer from a particular kind of anxiety, the source of which is not going away any time soon. According to Teachers College at Columbia University, American kids take more than 100 million standardized tests every year. Like it or not, until educators come up with a better way to assess children’s skills and abilities, as well as their teachers’, standardized testing will be a fact of life in most schools. Some children sail through, filling in bubbles and choosing among A, B, C, and D. For others, though, the very word—“testing”—raises the specter of failure or humiliation. Testing anxiety can be paralyzing. Teachers have their work cut out for them keeping students focused and calm, but parents play an equal or greater role in moving their children through these stressful times. The good news is children need not be doomed to experiencing terrible anxiety any time whispered acronyms (NAEP, NECAP, PSAT…) start filling the school halls. It’s all in your mind(set) One key to helping kids approach upcoming tests is to establish a growth mindset rather than a fixed mindset, an idea developed by Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck. In a growth mindset, people believe that their intelligence can be developed through perseverance and hard work—regardless of the brains and talent they start with. They focus on learning more rather than worrying about how smart they are. Students with a growth mindset are likely to approach standardized tests with an attitude of positive determination, rather than panic. (Students with a fixed mindset believe that their intelligence and ability are set, “fixed” traits, unchangeable by effort.) Like parent, like child Parents can help their children adopt a growth mindset by adopting one themselves. By focusing on making sure their children are putting in the effort needed to grow, as opposed to being consumed with good grades, parents model this positive mindset. Parents can encourage their children to take risks, ask them open-ended questions to help them develop logical thinking, and give them specific feedback on their schoolwork (“I can tell you’ve been working hard on fractions—you seem to be getting the hang of it this week”), rather than a broad “good job” or “you’re so smart!” They can emphasize children’s focus, effort, and process more than outcomes. Beyond hitting the books Parents can also pay attention to some of these commonsense methods of keeping their kids centered and calm: Get plenty of rest. Eat well. Exercise. Avoid “cramming” at the last minute. Enjoy lots of play time. If children have already been learning social-emotional skills in programs such as Second Step or Steps to Respect, parents and teachers can remind them to use them when preparing for testing. Focusing attention, breathing, and self-talk (“I can do this” or “I am ready”) are all helpful in reducing anxiety and staying on task. The power of (only) one Finally, parents and their children should try to remember that each test is just one test. It’s highly unlikely that any one test will change the course of a person’s life. People who know how to stay focused, problem solve, and persevere tend to have lives that turn out just fine. Emilie Coulter is a writer who has worked in the fields of social and emotional learning, literacy, and education for more than 25 years. Her eight- and eleven-year-old children have not yet exhibited test anxiety, other than their concern over what special snacks will be served on test day.