Advent: Preparing Mind, Body and Spirit

Advent is a time of preparation. Spiritually, we are preparing for Christmas and the arrival of Jesus. Physically, we may be trying to squeeze in an extra workout or eliminate certain foods to prepare for Christmas and New Year's feasts. Mentally, our oldest students are preparing for another mid-term tradition--exams.

In 5th through 8th grade, these cumulative assessments count as a large portion of the 2nd quarter grade. The 1st and 2nd quarter grades make-up a student's semester grade. In addition, our 8th graders take three high school credit classes--Spanish, Algebra and Physical Science. The exams in these high school credit classes are averaged with the 1st and 2nd quarter grades to determine a semester grade that may go on their high school transcript.

While we have modified and made more age-appropriate the exams our students in 5th through 8th grade take, this can still be a stressful experience for our students. Aside from prayer, here are three tips to help your students properly prepare for exams and avoid stressful study times:

Study in Small Chunks of Time

The brain needs time to process information. Hopefully, your child has been studying, learning and reviewing information all semester long. If so, the study guides should be just that--a guide to what information needs to reviewed--not relearned--before the exam. However, whether the time this week is spent relearning or reviewing, make sure your student studies in short increments. The brain can only hold so much information without taking time to process. 

Be Tech Free

When students do take a brain break to process, keep them away from their mobile devices. It may seem like an obvious stress reliever to let them play a game or catch up on social media, but research has shown that while technology provides a break from thinking about the material you are studying it does not let the brain rest.  In fact, game play and social media actually stimulate the brain. Therefore, the brain does not have a chance to rest and process information. 

Take It Outside

A great alternative to turning to the screen is turning to the outdoors. Encourage outside physical activity during study time. Physical activity promotes the production of endorphins, which can help with sleep--the ultimate stress reducer and peak time for brain processing. Get involved with your child and go on a bike ride, jog or walk with your student. Ask them to tell you about what they are studying (a form of processing) while you enjoy being outside. 

I don't think these tips are anything parents don't know or haven't learned. Hopefully they are just like a study guide--pointing out important information for your review.