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Dr. Arti Verma
- December 10, 2025
- Comment 0
How to Make Year 5 NAPLAN
Practice Stress Free
Why stress-free practice works better than intense revision
When you think about preparing your child for Year 5 NAPLAN practice, it is easy to assume that long revision sessions, extra worksheets, or practice tests every weekend will bring fast improvement. However, cognitive science shows the opposite. High pressure practice can restrict learning, impair memory, and reduce focus. When stress rises, the brain narrows its attention and struggles to absorb information.
A calm environment, on the other hand, supports the parts of the brain that help with reading comprehension, problem solving, vocabulary processing, and reasoning. When your child feels safe and relaxed, their brain becomes more open to new information. Their memory circuits work smoothly, and their ability to recall what they have learnt becomes stronger.
The most powerful Year 5 NAPLAN practice is never about the number of worksheets your child completes. It is about the quality of the learning environment. It is about how the brain responds to information. It is about helping your child practise in a way that builds skill, not pressure.
Stress free practice improves attention. It improves motivation. It improves persistence. When your child enjoys their practice sessions you will see more progress without the emotional exhaustion that often comes with intense revision.
This is why the foundation of Year 5 NAPLAN practice begins with understanding how the mind works. Once you understand the science, you guide your child with clarity and confidence.
The science of cognitive load and how it affects your child
Cognitive load refers to the amount of mental demand placed on your child while they are learning something. When cognitive load is too high, their mind feels full. When it is too low, there is not enough challenge. The right balance builds deep understanding.
There are three types of cognitive load that influence Year 5 NAPLAN practice.
Intrinsic load
This is the natural difficulty of the task. For example, reading a long text or solving a complex maths problem
has higher intrinsic load than a simple question.
Extraneous load
This refers to distractions and unnecessary mental steps. A noisy room, unclear instructions, or too many worksheets
add an extraneous load.
Germane load
This is the helpful mental effort that builds understanding and improves memory.
When your child feels stressed, the extraneous load becomes too high. The brain diverts energy to managing emotions and distractions instead of learning. Stress signals in the brain make it harder for your child to interpret reading passages, solve multi-step problems, or hold information in working memory.
To make Year 5 NAPLAN practice stress-free, you need to reduce extraneous load and support germane load. You can do this by creating a quiet space, breaking tasks into smaller segments, helping your child understand the goal of each activity, letting your child take short breaks to recharge, and selecting tasks that match your child’s skill level rather than overwhelming them.
The goal is not to remove challenge. The goal is to remove unnecessary difficulty. When cognitive load is managed well, your child feels capable, which naturally improves their confidence and reduces stress.
How to use spaced practice for Year 5 NAPLAN preparation
Spaced practice is one of the strongest learning methods supported by cognitive science. It involves spreading learning over time instead of completing large amounts of revision in one sitting. Your child remembers better when information is revisited repeatedly in short intervals.
The human brain is not designed to absorb knowledge through long hours of study. It is designed to strengthen memory through repetition spread across days or weeks. When you guide Year 5 NAPLAN practice in spaced intervals, your child builds stronger long-term memory.
Instead of one long session on the weekend, you can help your child practise for short periods several times a week. The length of the sessions does not matter as much as the spacing between them.
For example, a few short sessions through the week are far more effective than a long Sunday revision. This is because each spaced session triggers the memory to work again. Each time your child returns to a topic, they strengthen the pathways in their brain.
Spaced practice reduces stress because it reduces the pressure to finish everything in one go. It helps your child approach each session feeling refreshed. It also prevents burnout, which can happen when practice becomes too intense.
You can use spaced practice for reading, numeracy, spelling, vocabulary, and problem-solving. You do not need complicated schedules. You only need consistency. Over time, you will see how effortlessly your child grows.
The role of memory cycles and why short practice sessions work
Memory is formed in cycles. When your child learns something, the brain first holds it in a temporary storage system called working memory. Working memory can only handle a few pieces of information at a time. Once it becomes full, your child cannot process anything more. This is why long practice sessions feel heavy and overwhelming.
Short sessions work better because they match the natural memory cycle. Your child’s working memory has enough space to process information deeply. When they take a break, the brain stores what it has learnt. When they return to practice later, the memory becomes stronger.
This is how the brain moves information from working memory to long-term memory. Without these cycles, your child’s practice remains surface-level. This is why intense cramming rarely results in lasting progress.
You can support your child by structuring practice in short, meaningful sessions. For example
ten minutes of reading strategy practice
ten minutes of numeracy reasoning
ten minutes of reviewing a previous concept
These short sessions help the brain organise information smoothly. Your child stays motivated. They do not experience cognitive fatigue. They learn with clarity.
Another part of the memory cycle is sleep. When your child sleeps, their brain organises new information, removes mental clutter, and strengthens learning. Good quality sleep plays a major role in effective Year 5 NAPLAN practice. When your child sleeps well, they remember well.
The best learning happens when the mind is calm, rested, and receiving information in manageable amounts. When you follow the natural memory cycle, you help your child practise without feeling overwhelmed.
How to use retrieval practice to improve confidence and accuracy
Retrieval practice is another scientifically supported method for improving learning. It means recalling information from memory rather than simply reviewing it. Each time your child retrieves something from memory, the brain strengthens it. This is why retrieval practice builds strong long-term learning.
You can use retrieval practice for Year 5 NAPLAN preparation in simple ways.
You can ask your child to explain a passage they have read.
You can ask them to solve a numeracy question without looking at the example.
You can ask them to recall rules for spelling or punctuation.
You can ask them to describe how they solved a problem.
These small retrieval activities prepare your child for the independent thinking that NAPLAN requires. Retrieval practice also reduces stress because it gives your child a sense of mastery. When they realise they can recall information on their own, they feel more confident.
Another benefit of retrieval practice is error correction. When your child attempts to retrieve information and makes a mistake, their brain becomes aware of the gap. This awareness makes the next learning cycle stronger. Mistakes stop being stressful. They become part of growth.
Retrieval practice is not the same as testing. It is a gentle form of recall. It helps your child prepare calmly without the pressure of a formal assessment. When used regularly, retrieval practice becomes one of the most effective tools for building confidence.
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How to build a calm practice environment that supports the brain
The environment in which your child practises has a strong influence on how well they learn. Cognitive science shows that the brain responds to the surrounding atmosphere. If the environment feels tense or rushed, learning becomes harder. If the environment feels calm, the brain processes information with ease.
You can help your child practise for Year 5 NAPLAN in a calm environment with simple adjustments at home.
Choose a consistent time
When practice happens at the same time each day, the brain becomes ready to learn. Routine builds stability and reduces anxiety.
Keep the space simple
A clear table, good lighting, and minimal noise help your child stay focused. Clutter increases cognitive load. A clean space reduces mental effort.
Begin with a short warm-up
Before reading or numeracy practice, ask your child to take a few slow breaths. A short reset prepares their mind and signals that learning is beginning.
Use a gentle tone
Children learn better when they feel supported. Your calm voice helps them feel safe. Safety improves learning capacity.
Avoid multitasking
Your child learns best when their attention is not divided. A quiet environment helps them process information deeply.
Allow small breaks
Breaks recharge the brain. A few minutes of rest helps move information from working memory to long-term memory.
Use encouragement rather than pressure
Positive affirmations guide the emotional brain. When your child feels valued, they take on challenges more willingly.
This calm environment makes Year 5 NAPLAN practice feel manageable. It turns learning into a steady routine rather than a stressful task. Over time, your child learns with more clarity and confidence.
Conclusion
When you understand how the brain learns, you naturally guide your child in a calmer and more effective way. Stress-free Year 5 NAPLAN practice is not about doing less. It is about doing practice in a way that supports memory, attention, and understanding.
By using spaced practice, memory cycles, retrieval strategies, and a calm environment, you help your child build real academic strength. You reduce unnecessary pressure. You support their growth in a meaningful way. You show them that learning does not need to feel heavy.
Your child becomes more confident. They become more curious. They become more willing to try. This confidence shows in their practice sessions. It also shows in their performance.
Every small step you take builds a long-term foundation for success. When you lead with calmness, your child learns to trust their abilities. This is the path to stress-free learning and strong Year 5 NAPLAN outcomes.
Ready to get started?
Experience a full week of
NAPLAN tutoring at no cost.
Resources Used
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority
https://www.nap.edu.au/naplan
Research on cognitive load and learning
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/psychology/cognitive-load
Study on spaced practice effects and long term memory
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022537114001125
Research on retrieval practice and memory
https://www.apa.org/science/about/psa/2016/06/learning-memory
Memory consolidation and sleep research
https://www.nature.com/articles/nrn2762
Learning efficiency research for primary students
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10573569.2021.1923100
Helpful Links for Parents
NAPLAN sample questions and practice
https://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/whats-in-the-tests
Year 5 literacy and numeracy support
https://www.education.wa.edu.au/support-for-students
NAPLAN public past papers
https://www.acara.edu.au/assessment/naplan/naplan-2012-2016-test-papers
Parent strategies for supporting learning
https://www.raisingchildren.net.au/school-age/school-learning
