WITH Victorian students sitting down to NAPLAN this week, many students and parents may be feeling stressed or worried. Parenting advocacy group Triple P (Positive Parenting Program) has provided experts to discuss test-related anxiety with families and provide positive strategies and parental support. Triple P international head of training and clinical psychologist Alan Ralph said parents and carers should not over-emphasise the importance of NAPLAN, but instead 'lead by example' by staying positive and calm and encourage children to express their emotions to build confidence. “Sometimes caregivers accidentally make their children stressed by putting words in their mouths, like ‘you must be feeling nervous’," Dr Ralph said. “So, we encourage parents and carers to talk to their children about their emotions and help them find words to describe those emotions.” Dr Ralph also said that testing was a normal part of life, so children should be told that nervousness and stress can be managed. "Suggesting ways to handle these will give them important coping skills to help them in the future. "The younger a child is, the more they’ll need their parents’ emotional support. "But when a child is old enough, they need to gradually develop their own independence, which gives them a sense of optimism and feelings of confidence. “Parents and carers who are concerned about their child’s mental health and wellbeing should seek further support from their GP, health professional, or access free, evidence-based parenting programs like Fear-Less Triple P Online” Triple P is supported by funding from the federal Department of Health and Aged Care under the Parenting Education and Support Program. Parents and carers can access free, online parenting support 24/7 at triplep-parenting.net.au NAPLAN testing runs from Wednesday, 12 March to Monday, 24 March.
