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How To Help Your Child Overcome Test Anxiety and Do Better on Tests.

Taking a test isn't the end of the world, though for many children it might feel that way. Some children can feel so much anxiety at test taking time, that it can actually bring about physical symptoms such as butterflies in their stomach, nausea, clammy hands, or feeling faint. Some have even reported feeling like they want to cry or leave the room without taking the test at all.

While it might not be uncommon for children to suffer from text anxiety, there are quite a few things you can do to lessen it or prevent it.

What You Can Do

Don't overemphasize the actual grades emphasize the effort.

The plain simple fact is, learning comes easier to some children than others.

While one child can get an "A" by barely cracking a book, another could study all week and still do no better than a "B". Praise your child for the effort you see them putting in. Encourage them and offer them little rewards when you see them doing their best. Let them want to earn their "A" for their own reasons, not due to fear of not meeting your expectations.

Prepare them on a daily basis.

Be sure they consistently complete assignments and homework. A child who keeps up with their school work daily will absorb more than in a last minute cramming session when anxious.

Practice Exams I personally found this to be one of the best ways to get my son confident about test taking. At least once a week (sometimes more), I would type up examples right from his text books and give him practice exams at home. I would duplicate the circumstances as closely as possible as if he were taking a real test in school. Sit him comfortably at a desk or the kitchen table, pencil in hand. No television, talking on the phone or noise in the background. If he got stuck on an answer I would show him how to skip that one without worry and simply move on the next question. I would show him how to stay calm if he started to get frustrated. I would praise him on how well he was doing; praise how much better each test grade was, etc. Believe it or not, he eventually started asking me to type up more practice tests because he ended up loving the praise and extra attention he was getting from Mom. His confidence grew with each 100% he got at home and he started to actually look forward to taking tests at school.

Help Change Your Child's Negative Thoughts

Anxious children tend to have negative thoughts such as "I hate tests!" "I always fail" etc. Gently help them

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