Help Your Child Ace End of Year Exams! (Elementary and Middle School)

The school year is almost over!   But before everyone gets excited about summer, we want to make sure everyone aces those finals and 9-week exams coming up so that summer can start with a blast!  Keep reading for some tips to help your child ace those tests during this last stretch of the school year!

1.)  Study for Long Term Retention.

The topics your child is learning in their math class now are the foundation for more advanced math courses, such as algebra, geometry, and trigonometry.  Teach good homework and study habits that focus on long-term retention rather than "cramming" last minute.  When working on homework, remind them to write out all the steps and to double-check their work.

2.)  Start the Morning in the Best Way.

Give your child the best start possible by making sure they get a full night of sleep and a healthy breakfast.  Hunger pains are distracting, and exhaustion can cause the brain to not function as efficiently as normal.  Take them to school a little earlier than normal so that they have plenty of time to get to class and to meditate briefly before beginning the test.

3.)  Tackle Test Anxiety—Fear of Failure. 

According to the American Test Anxiety Association, up to 1 in 5 students suffer from test anxiety, which is often rooted in fear of failure or lack of preparation.  Alleviate the fear of failure by emphasizing the importance of understanding.  Remind your child that the importance of math isn't getting the right answer; the importance is understanding how they get to that answer.

4.)  Tackle Test Anxiety—Lack of Preparation

Help your child prepare by reviewing problem-solving strategies.  Oftentimes, teachers will have a problem-solving acronym to help students remember the steps.  Ask your child what the steps are that they use to solve problems.  If they have not reviewed a problem-solving strategy in class, work up one to use and practice using it on homework.  These strategies usually include reading the problem, identifying important information, solving it, and double-checking.  Older elementary and middle school students may include marking out unnecessary information, eliminating wrong answers, and writing out formulas.

5.)  Reinforce Estimating

Practice estimating with your child.  While working on homework or test reviews, make a habit of having your child estimate the answer before solving the problem.  This is especially useful when working with decimals and fractions.  By estimating first, you can determine if the answer is "reasonable".

6.)  Use Positive Language 

Using phrases such as "I'm not a math person" reinforces a negative mindset towards math.  Even if you are speaking from your own experiences, it may give your child the impression there is no point to try.  Instead, reinforce positive thinking.  If your child is struggling, remind them of a time it took multiple attempts and practice to master a task, such as when they were learning to ride a bike.  Mistakes are not the end in math—they are a way to learn.