BUILDING CONFIDENT ng with . . i p o c KIDSstudy & exams. By Kim Norton

H

ow can we build confidence and coping skills in our children for study and exams? With loads of patience, tolerance and consistency.

According to a recent report on the second Australian Child and Adolescent Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing: “One in seven young Australians, children and adolescents aged 4-17yrs experienced a mental disorder (approx.: 560,000 children) and one in fourteen young Australians aged 4-17yrs experienced an anxiety disorder in 2015 (approx.: 278,000 children).”

I don’t know about you but those numbers astounded me and I work with kids like this every single day. Read those numbers again and let them sink in. It’s imperative now more than ever to teach our children how they can self-regulate their stress and anxiety, a skill that will benefit them for a lifetime as remember, tests do not just occur at school. There’s dance recitals, sporting finals, music exams, NAPLAN and that’s even before they have hit high school and VCE. continued next page.....

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