Further Reading:

• Parents Need Someone To Talk To
• Counseling Help For Parents
• What Does Successful Parenting Look Like?
• “Parenting For Success”

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Further Reading:

• Counseling Help For Parents
• Do I Need Counseling?
• “101 Top Child Development & Parenting Articles” eBook
• Readers’ Questions
• When To See A Counselor, Doctor or Psychologist

The following are tips for parents to use to help their child reduce test anxiety:

Being well prepared for the test is the best way to reduce test taking anxiety.

Help your child space out study time over a few days or weeks, and continually review class material, don’t wait until the night before and try to learn everything.

It’s important for both th child and parent maintain a positive attitude while preparing for the test. It’s also important to think positively while taking a test as well.

Exercising helps reduce stress. During study breaks: run, skip, jump or do other exercises.

Get a good night’s sleep before the test.

Show up to class early so you won’t have to worry about being late.

Stay relaxed, if you begin to get nervous take a few deep breaths slowly to relax yourself and then get back to work. Visit the “Breathing For Relaxation” article in ScottCounseling for extra breathing technique tips.

Read the directions slowly and carefully before beginning a test.

If you don’t understand the directions on the test, ask the teacher for help

.

Skim through the test so that you have a good idea how to pace yourself.

Write down important formulas, facts, definitions and/or keywords in the margin first so you won’t worry about forgetting them.

Do the simple questions first to help build up your confidence for the harder questions.

Don’t worry about how fast other people finish their test; just concentrate on your own test.

If you don’t know a question skip it for the time being (come back to it later if you have time), and remember that you don’t have to always get every question right to do well on the test.

Focus on the question at hand; don’t let your mind wander on other things.

If you’re still experiencing extreme test anxiety after following these tips, seek help from your school counselor.

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Further Reading:

• Test Taking: True & False Questions
• Test Taking: Multiple Choice
• Test Taking: General Tips That Work for All Test
• Test Taking Tips: Essay Questions
• Developmental Stages For Children: The First Five Years of Life

Read each test question carefully. Look for familiar key words or facts that you learned about the question. Normally true and false question that include words such as “usually,” “generally” or “sometimes” lead to TRUE answers.

True or false questions that include words like “never” or “always” are usually FALSE.

If any part of the question is false, then the entire question is FALSE.

Usually there are more TRUE answers on a true/false test.

If there is no penalty for guessing, then guess! You have a 50/50 chance of getting the right answer.

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Further Reading:

• Test Taking: Multiple Choice
• Test Taking: General Tips That Work for All Test
• Test Taking Tips: Essay Questions
• Test Taking: Improving Your Math Test Scores
• Teenage Development

Practice the following when taking a multiple choice test:

• Read the question twice before you look at the answers
• After reading the question and before looking for the answer provided on the test, try to come up with the correct answer on your own.
• Read all the possible choices before selecting one.
• Use a process of elimination to discover the correct answer.
• If “All the above” is a possible answer and you see two correct answers, then “All the above” would be a correct choice.
• In most cases, a positive choice is more likely to be the correct answer (or true) than a negative choice.
• The correct answer often has the most information included in the answer.
• Usually your first choice will be your best choice.
• When there is no penalty for guessing then make an educated guess when selecting an answer.

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Further Reading:

• Test Taking: True & False Questions
• Test Taking: General Tips That Work for All Test
• Test Taking Tips: Essay Questions
• Test Taking: Improving Your Math Test Scores
• Teenage Development

Learning the skills required to be successful at test-taking, especially in math, takes time. Building confidence is key. Taking practice test is another key. As your child grows older, he or she will become more comfortable taking test. below are some test taking suggestion for math test.

“Practice! Practice! Practice!”

The best method to begin using to improve any score in life is to practice. Children who learn early in life to enjoy practicing often achieve their goals. Besides practicing, here are some other helpful hints to improve math test scores:

Before Taking the Test

Practice problems for each topic that will be tested. Be able to solve a math problem for each topic listed in the math section or chapter.

Show all your work when solving a problem.

Use the book or your notes first when you are having a difficult time solving a practice problem.

Ask for help! Stay after class or school and ask the teacher or another student for help.

Don’t say that you “understand” when you don’t understand. Ask for another example.

Memorize the formulas or math rules that apply.

Complete the math section or chapter review example test question. Some text book companies have extra chapter review test online.

While taking the Test

Read each question carefully.

Answer all parts of the question asked.

Show all your work!

Before beginning the test, write all the math formulas that apply on the corner of the test.

If you are not sure that you are solving a problem correctly, leave the work that you completed on your test. You may scores some points for trying to solve the problem.

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Further Reading:

• Test Taking: True & False Questions
• Test Taking: Multiple Choice
• Test Taking: General Tips That Work for All Test
• Test Taking Tips: Essay Questions
• Let’s Make Math Fun

• Have your child get plenty of sleep the night before a test. Your child will be more alert and have a better chance of focusing on the test questions.
• Eat breakfast! Eat Lunch! Don’t take a test when your body is low on fuel. Don’t over eat either. Fresh fruits and vegetables along with foods high in protein are excellent sources of fuel. Avoid high fatty or greasy foods such as French fries.
• Take advantage of practice test. Most text books have questions at the end of each chapter that your child can practice before the test. Many text book companies have online practice test for your child to take in preparation for the real test.
• Studying for a test over a long period of time is better than “cramming” for a test the night before. Have your child study for a short period of time each day on a regular basis and avoid the one time “cram session.”
• Do or complete all the assignments that lead up to a test. This is especially true for a math test.
• Help your child with organization. Studies indicate that organized children are often better test takers.
• Encourage your child to join before or after school study groups. Some teachers encourage their students to come early or stay after to get extra help.
• Help your child to form questions prior to a test that ask the teacher questions about the test. Examples of good questions to ask may include:

“What is going to be on the test?”
“What’s the best way to prepare for the test?”
“Is the practice test similar to the real test?
“Where should I spend most of my time preparing for the test?”

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Further Reading:

• Test Taking Tips: Essay Questions
• Test Taking: True & False Questions
• Test Taking: Multiple Choice
• Protecting Your Child: Safety Starts With Good Communication
• Why Should Parents Teach Life Skills?

When studying for essay tests that provide you with questions in advance:

1. Research and find all the information or facts to thoroughly answer the question.
2. Write the essay in advance. Practice answering the essay by actually writing it before you take the test.
3. Study and memorize. Outline key points in your mind.

While taking an essay test it is important to do the following:

1. Read the directions! Read the directions! Read the directions!
2. Only give your opinion if the question(s) asks for your opinion.
3. Be neat and organized with your thoughts and writing. Neater papers often score higher.
4. If the question is asking for facts, then stick to the fact. Do not provide your opinion unless you are asked for it.
5. Write down and provide information that thoroughly answers the essay question. More quality information is better than little or poor information.
6. Watch your time! Don’t spend too much time on one essay question.
7. Write out an outline of possible points, facts or information that you want included in the essay before you begin writing.
8. Use appropriate grammar, sentence structure and paragraph formation while writing your essay.

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Further Reading:

• Test Taking: General Tips That Work for All Test
• Test Taking: True & False Questions
• Test Taking: Multiple Choice
• Protecting Your Child: Safety Starts With Good Communication
• Why Should Parents Teach Life Skills?

Learning about child psychology with respect to child behavior patterns in homework completion varies from elementary to high school. Younger elementary children are often more excited about completing homework assignments outside of school than middle or junior high school students. Some parents question the value of homework after their child spends 35 to 40 hours a week in school.

Homework assignments, completed successfully, reinforce what children learn in the classroom and build confidence in the next day’s activities. But the value of homework extends beyond the subject matter. It can help children develop good habits, including self-discipline and responsibility.

Parents and guardians are essential to the process. Homework can help parents learn about their children’s educational growth and ways of thinking. But getting the homework done can be challenging for children and parents.

Top Ten Homework Helping Tips

1. 1. Set a daily schedule for homework and put the schedule where you will see it often. The best schedule and length of time will depend on your child.
2. 2. Pick a well lit, fairly quiet place for your child to study. Make sure that necessary supplies are on hand and, if it is possible, let your child decorate their space with their favorite handmade artwork.
3. Remove distractions such as the television, loud noises and, if possible, noisy toddlers. Ideally study areas should be away from windows with distracting views.
4. Set a good example by reading and writing yourself during ’study time’ and encourage learning activities such as letting your child write out the grocery list.
5. Show interest by reviewing your child’s homework and talking about school activities in family conversations.
6. Be available for questions and look over completed assignments.
7. Children learn in different ways, and it will be easier for you to help if you understand something about your child’s learning style.
8. Help your child get organized. Put an assignment book or calendar in a place where you will see it often and record, or have your child record, when assignments are due.
9. Encourage good study habits. Help your child get started early when he or she has to do research reports or other big assignments and give practice tests.
10. Talk about the assignments. Talking can help him or her think through an assignment and break it down into small, easy-to-handle pieces.

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Further Reading:

• Protecting Your Child: Safety Starts With Good Communication
• Why Should Parents Teach Life Skills?
• Test Taking: General Tips That Work for All Test
• Test Taking Tips: Essay Questions
• How to Help Your Overweight Child

ScottCounseling wants to challenge your thinking. If “self” refers to “the understanding or determination of one’s own nature or basic qualities” (as described by YourDictionary.com), is it possible to build an understanding or determination of another person’s nature or basic quality for them?

ScottCounseling answer: No! You can’t build someone elses self-confidence or self-esteem for them. That’s why it’s call self-confidence and self-esteem.

Child behavior and Child psychology advocate, Patricia J. Paddock, presents some practical suggestions and solution for parents searching for answers to the title’s question.

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Further Reading:

• Building Self Esteem In Your Child
• Discussing Peer Pressure with Your Child
• Protecting Your Child: Safety Starts With Good Communication
• Why Should Parents Teach Life Skills?
• What Causes Children To Become Overweight?