(Readers, please pass this on. I cannot remember reading this useful bit of advice in any of the many blog posts and articles I regularly read.)

I reread my last post and realized I ought to emphasize one point: Don’t plan a fun activity for after the test, especially one that can be done independently. That test that will be placed in a child’s cumulative folder, that test that will follow a child through the rest of his or her academic career? A seven-year-old, ten-year-old or even fifteen-year old may rocket through the test to get to the fun activity. Kids don’t have perspective. They will bolt down dinner to get to the chocolate cake.

An academic puzzle should work well, but art projects need to be avoided. Free time needs to be avoided. These rewards for finishing are too tempting. You don’t want kids socializing after the test anyway; you want to keep the room quiet.

Even when everyone is done, you will benefit from a calming activity. Some kids become highly stressed, tense and/or excited by tests. These kids should receive a version of quiet time after they finish exams, a time to slow down and decompress.