11 Plus Stress Busting! 4 Top Tips To Support Your Child’s Mental Health

Children preparing for the 11 plus face a huge amount of pressure. After all, the results of the test can affect how they progress through education, all the way up to university and beyond!

As parents, it’s vital that you do all you can to protect your children’s mental health at this time, keeping stress at bay so that they’re able to perform at their best.

But, of course, this is often easier said than done - so how can you go about supporting your child and helping them with their anxiety while still pushing them sufficiently so that they can get the results they need? Here are some top tips!

Regular breaks

Overdoing it can lead to burnout and then no new information will go in! Getting out and about in the fresh air regularly can make a significant difference to revision success and test performance.

Extracurricular activities

It’s important that your child’s life doesn’t just revolve around the 11 plus and nothing else. What other activities do they enjoy? What other creative pursuits can they engage in?

Mindful hobbies like painting, drawing and writing are particularly good stress busters… or you could hit the kitchen and do some baking, with sweet treats served up as a big reward!

Alternatively, you could go for a lovely long walk in the great outdoors, head out to play a favourite sport or make sure you’re a regular face at clubs like Brownies and Cubs.

Relaxation activities

Learning more about mindfulness could prove particularly beneficial at this tricky time. Mindfulness is all about anchoring yourself in the present moment by focusing your attention on your breath.

Thoughts will come and go but the idea is to let them enter your mind and leave again without judgment and without dwelling on them, drawing your attention back to your breath each time.

If you or your child would rather be active with their mindfulness pursuits, something like yoga or pilates could be a great way to achieve inner peace.

And, of course, don’t forget about the power of reading when it comes to rest and relaxation. Grab your favourite book, curl up in your favourite chair and whisk yourself off to a whole new world for a while.

Sleep!

Poor sleep can really affect your child when it comes to both revision and exams, with sleep deprivation increasing stress levels, impairing immune system function, reducing cognitive performance, impacting memory, increasing depression risks, affecting creativity and logical reasoning… none of which will help them pass the 11 plus!

Make sure your children follow a solid bedtime routine, going to bed and waking up at the same time, avoiding screens a few hours before bed (tough one!), that they’re not eating too late at night and that their bedrooms are decluttered, at a comfortable temperature and sufficiently dark to prevent them from waking up.

Of course, these are just a couple of hints and tips to help keep you all healthy, happy and focused at the moment. If you need any further advice, get in touch with the WSB Tutoring team today.