Helping Adolescents Cope

Help your teen overcome anxiety during final exams

Sometimes your teen may feel as if his whole future is riding on one test. That can leave his mind feeling anxious and his stomach in a knot. Share these tips to help your teen handle test-taking fears:

• Don’t wait until the last minute. Cramming is not a good study strategy, and it’s not good for nerves either. Starting to study well ahead of time can help your teen feel more confident, and more relaxed on test day.
• Know the material. If he knows it so well that it’s almost second nature, he’ll have less reason to fear it.
• Use your best learning style. Some teens will learn better if they talk out loud. Others learn better if they close their eyes and picture the material in their heads.
• Remember past successes. Mention something your teen did well in the past. This helps cut down on the “I can’t do anything right, I’m going to fail this test” syndrome.
• Take care of yourself. Your teen will do his best and feel his best if he gets a good night’s sleep, eats a good breakfast on test day, and avoids junk food, coffee and sodas.

Reprinted with permission from the May 2005 issue of Parents Still make the difference!® (High School Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2005 The Parent Institute®, a division of NIS, Inc.

A summer of reading keeps teen minds ready for school

A summer of reading is a great way to reinforce learning over the next few months. Your teen will return to school with new skills and ideas. His brain will be sharp for the upcoming year.

Encourage reading by:

• Reading aloud to your teen, even at this age.
• Providing a cozy place to read at home.
• Reading for pleasure yourself.
• Talking to your teen about reading.
• Finding books reviewed in teen magazines for your child.
• Helping your teen find books on topics that interest him in the library.
• Asking a teacher or librarian for a list of recommended books.
• Checking out recommended books for teens on the American Library Association’s website at www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists.
• Asking your teen’s friends to recommend their favorite books.

Reprinted with permission from the May 2005 issue of Parents Still make the difference!® (High School Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2005 The Parent Institute®, a division of NIS, Inc. Source: “teen reading,” American Library Association, www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/teenreading/trw/teenreadweek.htm.

Encouraging Writing

Building Character

Encourage your teen to focus on three daily goals

Here’s a simple exercise that can help your teen focus on other people’s needs.

Each morning, ask your teen to spend a few minutes setting up three simple goals for the day. Have him think of them as the Three S’s:

1. School. What’s the most important thing your teen can do that day for school? It might be study for a big test or write a paper.
2. Self. What’s the best thing your teen can do for himself? (Get enough sleep? Exercise? Eat breakfast?)
3. Someone else. Now have your teen think about another person. What could he do to help someone else that day? Could he give his younger brother a ride? Could he mow an elderly neighbor’s lawn?

Over time, this helps teens get in the habit of thinking about others. They also focus less on their own worries and concerns.

Reprinted with permission from the April 2005 issue of Parents Still make the difference!® (High School Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2005 The Parent Institute®, a division of NIS, Inc. Source: Linda and Richard Eyre, Teaching Your Children Values, ISBN: 0-671-76966-9 (Simon & Schuster, 1-800-223-2336, www.simonsays.com

Basic outline, good examples contribute to essay answers

For today’s teens, essay tests are a fact of life. From state writing tests to the new SAT writing sample, teens must know how to write a clear essay in a limited amount of time.

Here are some tips that will help:

• Spend time planning. Before starting to write, your teen should spend a few minutes thinking and planning. Have him jot down a few key ideas and develop a basic outline.
• Choose examples carefully. Your teen will score higher if he supports general ideas with specific examples. He should choose examples he knows well—and on which he has something to say. Examples might include a special person in his life, a favorite novel, or a local or national issue.
• Don’t worry about being perfect. Readers know the essay was written under time limits. Just encourage your teen to do the best he can.

The best writing advice comes from Dorothy Parker. She once issued six rules to help anyone write better: “Read, read, read, and write, write, write.”

Reprinted with permission from the March 2005 issue of Parents Still make the difference!® (High School Edition)