Classroom Strategies for Calmer Spring Testing
Spring brings growth, sunshine, and… testing season. As assessment time approaches, it’s completely normal for students to feel anxious, restless, or overwhelmed. But the good news is that creating a calm, steady classroom environment makes a tremendous difference in students’ confidence and performance. And although calm classrooms don’t just “happen,” we can intentionally create them through routines, reassurance, and small daily strategies.
Here are practical, teacher-friendly ways to create a peaceful testing environment in your classroom:
1. Start the Day with Predictability
During testing season, consistency is comforting. Keep morning routines steady with the same entry procedures, start activities, and morning message or circle time. I always love to start the day with soft instrumental music to set a calm and happy tone.
Students feel safer when they know what to expect. Even if the schedule shifts for testing, post a simple visual agenda so students can see the flow of the day.
2. Practice Calming Strategies Before Test Day
Don’t wait until the morning of the assessment to introduce these techniques. Build them into your routine weeks ahead or, better yet, from the beginning of school.
Simple calming strategies to try:
Balloon Breathing
Purpose: Slows heart rate, reduces physical tension, and helps students regain control when nerves rise
How do Balloon Breaths
- Sit upright with both feet on the floor and place both hands on top of your belly. Imagine there is a balloon inside your belly
- Slowly inhale through the nose for four counts, feeling the “balloon” grow bigger
- Hold for two seconds
- Slowly exhale through the nose for six counts, feeling the “balloon” shrink
- Repeat 3–5 times
5-4-3-2-1 Grounding
Purpose: Helps students shift attention away from worry or concerns and into the present moment.
This grounding strategy is especially helpful before starting a test. Be sure to practice this exercise often during non-stressful times to make it feel normal.
How to do the 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding exercise
- Sit quietly and look around the room
- Identify:
- 5 things you can see
- 4 things you can feel
- 3 things you can hear
- 2 things you can smell
- 1 thing you can taste
Gentle Stretching and Movements
Purpose: Releases physical tension and resets focus.
Testing requires sitting still for certain lengths of time which can build stress in the body. Try these movements to help relax tense muscles before long testing blocks or in between testing sessions.
- Reach for the Sky
- Sit or stand
- Reach arms high
- Interlace the fingers
- Stretch up slowly for 5 seconds
- Slowly release.
- Shoulder Rolls
- Lift shoulders toward ears
- Slowly roll the shoulders back
- Repeat five times
- Reverse the direction, and repeat five more times
- Neck Relaxer
- Gently tilt the head to one side
- Hold for 5 seconds
- Switch sides
- Move your head slowly and intentionally
Quiet minute of eyes-closed breathing
Purpose: Builds stamina, self-regulation, and calmness.
This is especially helpful right before you distribute assessments.
How to breathe calmly together:
- Dim the lights slightly, if possible
- Have students sit comfortably
- Ask the students to close their eyes or lower their gaze
- Set a timer for 30-60 seconds
- Guide students with soft cues, like:
- Notice your breathing…
- Notice the ground beneath you…
- If your mind wanders, gently bring it back to your breathing
- When the time ends, gently prompt:
- “Slowly open your eyes, give yourself a big hug, and say “I am loved.” or “I got this!”
The key is to practice these exercises regularly so students have the experience they need to self-regulate in a stressful testing situation.
3. Create a Calm Testing Environment
These small environmental adjustments make a big difference:
- Soft lighting, like lamps instead of harsh overhead lights
- Clean desks and minimal visual clutter
- Encouraging notes on desks
- Strategic seating to reduce distractions
Keep your own tone slow and steady. Your nervous system sets the temperature of the room.
4. Shift the Focus from Scores to Effort
Students perform better when they feel supported and not pressured, so what we say matters. Instead of: “This test is very important” or “You need to pass this,” try saying the following:
- “This is a chance to show what you’ve learned”
- “Just do your best thinking”
- “Your effort is what matters most”
- “The word ‘Triumph’ is the word try with a little Umph added to it”
- “What happens after the test matters, too”
Avoid immediately discussing answers, comparing completion times, or celebrating “who finished first.” Instead, offer quiet, low-stress activities they can work on as they finish the tests that won’t disrupt the others still working. Things such as independent reading, calm coloring pages, or reflection writing (with prompts like: “I’m proud that I…”) all help maintain emotional safety during the day.
Take Care of You, Too
Spring testing can raise teacher stress levels as well, so please remember to take care of you, too. You are their anchor. Your calm is contagious.
Students sense when we’re anxious, so take three deep breaths and drink water. Remind yourself: Testing is a moment, not a measure of a child’s worth, intelligence, or potential.
Stick a note on your desk to say: “I’ve prepared them well.”
When we prioritize emotional safety alongside academic preparation, we give students more than strategies for a test.
These techniques can lower stress hormones, improve working memory, increase focus, reduce emotional shutdown, and help students access what they’ve already learned.
And the best part? They become lifelong skills, not just test-day tricks. We teach them tools for managing pressure and believing in themselves. When calm strategies are framed as strength tools, students feel empowered.
And that’s the real win!
Warmly,
Debbie
Debbie Bagley works as a Studies Weekly Teacher Advocate. Teacher Advocates are former teachers who help teachers like you implement Studies Weekly materials into their instruction. Teacher Advocates are available to provide support through email, phone call, and video chat. Teacher Advocates are only available for classroom teachers currently using Studies Weekly materials. They are not available for homeschools. Schedule a meeting with Debbie here.