Our ISEE series continues following our recent overview of the exam and how to start preparing. Today we'll dig deeper and get specific about one key area our research, data, and experience has shown to bring the most dramatic score increases.
We've worked with every type of learner here at ArborBridge and want to share our recommendations. If you would like more information on ArborBridge, or would like to take advantage of one of our free diagnostic tests, simply reach out anytime.
We welcomed Lisa Peacock, one of the premier LMFTs in Los Angeles, to discuss ways you can manage your child’s stress for the ISEE—and life—below.
As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and the founder of The Peacock Foundation, a non-profit focused on healing and bettering the lives of children and their families, I've dealt with many forms of stress. Here are some easy steps to success and family cohesion.
Top 5 Ways to Minimize Your Child's Stress
1. Make a Plan: As parents you should sit down separately and discuss what you think is appropriate for your child. How much studying? Strengths and weaknesses? Study habits? A good plan means a focus and an understanding of how to move forward. It also puts parents on the same page. If you are helping each other, you are helping your child. In the same way, a single parent should sit down with a friend or confidant who can be a good listening support while you decipher a plan.
2. Get Help: We teach children at a young age to ask for help when they can't do something. Why does this change as we get older? All of a sudden we are supposed to know everything. False. Find resources to help you. We all have chosen career paths, and it's alright to admit that teaching and child support is not your chosen path.
3. Diet: We all know that what we put in our body changes the chemicals inside us that monitor sleep, attention, brain activity, and blood flow. If we overeat, all of the blood goes to digestion and not to our brain. Ask your doctor about the best diet for your child when they need to have mental acuity for the test. Diet should be consistent for the entire week before the test to make sure that the chemicals in their system are stable and working to help your child through stress.
4. Sleep: Just as it's important to monitor our diet, it's important to allow our brain to recuperate. We have to plug in our phones every night—why do we give our own body so much less? Make sure that your child has adequate sleep during test prep and before testing. This will make memory and sharpness work for your child's success.
5. You Matter: Set aside time to spend with your child that has nothing to do with the test. It's important for them to know that you love and care about them no matter how they perform on the test. Most children manifest performance anxiety because they worry about letting their parents down or disappointing them. If you remove this fear, they'll naturally be more relaxed.
Lisa Peacock has been working in mental health with children for twelve years. She started The Peacock Foundation in 2002 to provide access for children to mental health using animals as a creative tool for healing. She now runs a private practice in Valley Village and uses all creative methods to create harmony and success in the lives of her clients.
