Don't Stress about NAPLAN!

5 Tips to Support our Grade 3 and 5 Families.

1. Discuss

Discuss a “try your best” attitude to exams in your home if NAPLAN is mentioned – be clear to your kids you are proud of the effort they put in, and you are less concerned about the outcome (i.e. the marks they get and how they compare to others – as many factors out of your child’s control affect these).

2. Explain

Explain how exams are at least a little bit stressful for everyone – maybe share an appropriate story about a time when you had to complete an exam and found it stressful, but you just tried your best and got through it (this “normalising” of stress is helpful for many children).

3. Plan a Reward

Ask your kids to come up with some ideas for activities you could do as a family on the weekend after NAPLAN – discuss it as a “reward” for your child trying their best with NAPLAN. This will reinforce your “try your best” attitude to them and give them something else to think about and look forward to after the week of NAPLAN.

4. Practise (This is happening at school)

Do some revision of skills and practice questions with your child in the weeks leading up to NAPLAN –  your child’s teacher is able to provide you with practice questions to revise in the weeks leading up to NAPLAN, its a good idea to help your child go through these if they are having difficulty. You can use this link :public demonstration site.

Jenny Willmott

jwillmott@sjvmulgrave.catholic.edu.au

Deputy Principal and Well Being Leader