Thousands of young Australian students take the NAPLAN test each year. Often, students experience anxiety and nervousness before taking the exam. This is normal!
Below are some NAPLAN study tips and suggestions that will help ease your son or daughter's anxiety. Continue to read to learn more.
What is the NAPLAN?
The National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy exam is a standardized test given to Australian students in Years 3, 5, 7, and 9. The exam covers reading, writing, language conventions, and numeracy.
The NAPLAN is developed and distributed by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority.
Tip #1: Use Practice Materials
Preparing for the NAPLAN requires effective studying. With practice materials, your child will get familiar with exam formatting and question types. A benefit of practice exams is that they will help your son or daughter get comfortable with time constraints.
Be mindful that successful preparation does not mean over-studying. Your child does not need to complete every practice exam completely to grasp core concepts.
Over-studying can increase anxiety and make your child exhausted. The most important thing is that your child builds familiarity with NAPLAN question types. Come exam day, he or she will feel confident and relaxed.
Tip #2: Be A Partner In Your Child's Studying
Nothing is more beneficial than being a partner in your son or daughter's studying efforts. Demonstrate to your child that you are invested in their success.
It is important to be accessible and help your child tackle practice assignments. Additionally, let your child be the guide.
Your son or daughter knows the concepts they could use more practice in. Ask them what areas they find difficult. This will help you determine what to focus on in preparation sessions.
With your support and encouragement, your son or daughter will be able to prepare more effectively. They need the support of their family to gain the confidence to excel.
Tip #3: Tutoring
There is only so much you can do to assist your son or daughter in answering questions. If you find your child is struggling in a certain area, contacting a tutoring service is encouraged!
With a professional tutor, your child can prepare long ahead of the NAPLAN test and gain comfortability with the topics they struggle with. Tutoring services are a great investment in your child. Your son or daughter will be less anxious about content and will do far better on the exam.
Tutoring service prices often vary per tutor. Some fees can be as low as $15 to 20 per hour.
Tip #4: Positive Mindset Is Imperative
It is important to encourage your child to have a positive mindset about the exam. Demonstrate to them that they are well prepared and should be confident on exam day.
More of the essence, explain to them that the NAPLAN is a standardized exam. Of course, you want them to do well and have expressed this to them. The key thing to remember is to remind them that you are proud of them no matter their score, as long as they put their best effort forth.
The more pressure you place on your child, the more anxious they will be. You want them to walk into the exam feeling positive and relaxed. The more positive they are, the higher the chances of their success.
Encourage a positive mindset from the beginning. When they correctly complete a problem during study sessions, recognize their success.
If they do not complete a problem completely, let them know it's okay and tell them to try again. Help them develop out-of-the-box strategies to complete challenging question types.
Tip #5: Ensure Your Child Receives Proper Rest and Nutrition
Your son or daughter must get plenty of rest before exam day. Make sure they relax the evening before the test. Encourage them to do a fun and calming activity such as watching a movie or listening to music.
Last-minute studying is not recommended. It is not helpful and will drain your child before exam day.
Equally important, ensure your son or daughter gets a healthy meal the evening before and the morning of exam day. Research has shown how proper nutrition can increase focus and brain function.
Tip #6: Find Creative Ways to Study and Incentivize
No child enjoys preparing for an exam. It is not fun and often boring. As a parent, you want to make the process as enjoyable as possible. Besides practice materials, there are other approaches to studying for standardized exams.
Depending on the NAPLAN topic, there may be an engaging mobile device app that asks similar questions. As an example, you find an app that features grammar questions.
Make studying almost like a game. One way to do this is to create a jeopardy game with NAPLAN test questions.
Incentivization is encouraged. Offer your child a reward for their studying. These rewards could be additional electronic time, an allowance bonus, or taking them out to dinner. Â
Help Your Child Prepare for the NAPLAN Test Today!
The above suggestions are a starting point to help your child prepare for the NAPLAN test. The most important thing to take away from this blog is that it is critical to be a partner in your child's studying journey.
Purchasing practice materials for your son or daughter is imperative. NotesEdu offers NAPLAN practice tests and materials that are similar to the actual exam.
NotesEdu's NAPLAN content is comprehensive and can be of significant help to your child. To learn more about NotesEdu's services, please contact us today. Â
Disclaimer: Our NAPLAN product is not officially endorsed by the NAPLAN program and is crafted by NotesEdu Team, independently of ACARA. The information provided here in is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute advice, endorsement, or guarantee. NotesEdu is not responsible for any inaccuracies, effectiveness of the strategies mentioned, or any consequences resulting from the use of this information. Your reliance on the information and the results obtained are solely at your own risk.
