Personally, I believe that when testing season gets close, kids get anxious and begin to have testing anxiety. Here are a few tips you, the classroom teacher can do to alleviate your student's stress.
First and foremost, STAY CALM! If the kids see you stressed out for the weeks leading up to the big test, they will be too.
Another thing that my students enjoyed was when I brought in snacks the day prior to our test day and we just had a little down time. Many of them spoke about their anxiety freely and I was able to reassure them.
If you still have a week or two before the test, I would suggest having students complete a "2 Stars and a Wish" paper. This would include 2 things they are sure they know and 1 thing they wish they understood better. This might also give you an idea of what to cover right before the test to give that extra boost of confidence.
Of course you should do the normal reminders...eat a good breakfast, bring 2 pencils and get a good night's sleep. But, I also reminded my students to take frequent breaks and if their hands got tired or sweaty to take a minute and grab onto the leg of their chair. The metal is cool and calms them down.
If you would like some good luck notes for your kiddos, I have some free in my TpT Store, This Little Piggy Reads.
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