De-stress After the Test: How to Host Stress-Free Activities After Testing

Testing season can be a stressful time for students and adults! Last year our PBIS Team came up with an idea to help students decompress after our state testing days by hosting activity sessions we called "De-stress After the Test."

Although we hosted this event for PSSA testing, our state standardized testing, you could host an event like this after any testing session or window... midterms, finals, and more!

In this post I will share how we hosted De-Stress After the Test and provide you with all of the materials I made to promote it at my school.

Stress-Free Activities

For De-stress After the Test we recruited PBIS team members to host different activity sessions. We hosted:
  • Cards and Board Games
  • E-Sports
  • Music, Coloring, and Bracelet Making
  • Therapy Dogs
  • Dance Party
It was so fun to host these events for students. My personal favorite was the PSSA Dance Party hosted by one of our teachers. She did a dance workout and it was super fun! 

There are so many activities that could work for these sessions. Think about your school community and what supplies/materials you have access to at your school.

School Communication

Below is an example of an email we sent out to teachers, students, and families to share information about De-Stress After the Test.

During PSSA Testing days, the PBIS team is offering "DE-STRESS AFTER THE TEST" - stress free activities during tutorial periods. Students can sign up to attend these activities via a google form or the attached QR Code. There will be a 20 student limit each day for each activity. 

Please share this information with students during tutorial. Students can scan the QR Code on the attached image to sign up. This information will also be shared on the TVs and via student email. Please let us know if you have any questions.

I also shared an image of the activities in the email and on our closed-circuit TVs.


Activity Sign Up

To sign up for De-Stress After the Test, students completed a De-Stress After the Test Activity Sign-Up form to sign up for specific activities.





After they signed up, I made paper passes for each student. Since we have implemented a new pass system this year, SmartPass, I will be able to easily upload the list for each session to make digital passes for students.

Materials

You can make a copy of this De-stress After the Test Google Form so you can edit it to meet your needs.

I also created a template version of the De-stress After the Test Advertisement so you can add your own activities. I shared this image in my email to staff and families and I put it on our closed-circuit TVs to advertise the event.

You can also edit this template version of the De-stress After the Test Google Header to add images that match your session.

Modifications for De-Stress After the Test

If you aren't able to host a multi-day series of events, no worries! Below are some ideas for modifying De-Stress After the Test:
  • Host one event at the end of your testing window
  • Host a day-long event with multiple sessions after testing is over
  • Provide students, families, and caregivers ideas of how they could De-Stress After the Test at home
Also, remember you don't have to an event of this nature alone! Reach out to co-workers or use your school community to help staff your different events and activities. If people have an area of expertise or a hobby they love, it could be a win-win for them and your students! 

If you host a De-Stress After the Test at your school I'd love to see it! Connect with me via social media or email me!

Want to learn more ideas about promoting self-care at your school? Check out these posts below!


I recently wrote an article for the January/February 2025 ASCA School Counselor Magazine about practical ways to promote self-care titled Tools for Self-Care. Check out my blog post for a link to the article and links to all the self-care events and activities I reference in the article.


Also, I am speaking at this year's Pennsylvania School Counselors Association (PSCA) Spring Virtual Conference. In my presentation, Promote Self-Care to Your School Community I will share more details about De-Stress After the Test and other ideas for promoting self-care! Click on the image or visit the PSCA Spring Virtual Conference registration page for more information.

Connect with Danielle!

If you have questions, connect with me on on Instagram, Facebook, BlueSky, LinkedIn or email me at danielle@schcounselor.com.

If you use this idea, I would love to see it in action! Tag me or share with me!

Need a speaker for your school counseling group? 

Request an in-person or virtual workshop for your local, state, or national school counseling conference here: http://bit.ly/drsworkshop.



Popular posts from this blog

Take What You Need, Give What You Can Sticky Note Board

Image
Last year, I saw a lot of "Take What You Need, Give What You Can" Bulletin Boards popping up everywhere. I decided to fuel my new found love of printing on sticky notes and make a sticky note version. The idea behind the "Take What You Need, Give What You Can" board is that you take a positive message that you "need" to hear or "give" (write) a positive or uplifting message for someone else to take. I displayed the "Take What You Need, Give What You Can" sticky note board on a window near the school counseling office. A traditional bulletin board could also be used to display this sticky note board.  I created 18 different positve messages to print on sticky notes for the "Take What You Need" side of the board. To make this "Take What You Need, Give What You Can" sticky note board, you will need the following items: A printer Printer paper to print the sticky...
Read more

Spring Mindfulness Bulletin Board with QR Codes

Image
I created this colorful, interactive, spring bulletin board for our March & April PBIS theme, mindfulness. I made this bulletin board interactive for students by adding QR Codes with different mindfulness activities. Since most things need to be touch-less right now, I thought using QR Codes would be an easy way for students to access some mindfulness activities. If you are not familiar with QR Codes, QR stands for Quick Response. QR Codes are scannable with a smart device camera (iPad, tablet, or smart phone). you can easily make your own QR codes by using a QR Code generator. You can link the QR Code to a website or online document. When the user scans the QR Code they will be directed to the link. I used  QR Code Generator  to create the QR Codes.  I got the idea for this bulletin board while looking for mindfulness resources. I stumbled upon a New York Times article about "Pinwheel Breathing." This sent me down a rabbit hole of brainstormin...
Read more

FREE Career Interest Games and Inventories on VA Career View

Image
I have been searching for fun and interactive career activities to facilitate with students this year. I rediscovered  Virginia Career View , which has a wealth of computer based and printable career activities. I have used this website many times, but each time I visit I am surprised by how truly awesome this site is. In the K-5 Section of  Virginia Career View  there is an interactive game called  Career Town ! I used the  Career Town  game with some 5th grade students last year and they loved it. Career Town has three levels with different games to learn about jobs on each level.  The  Career Town  has an educators guide  for each "level' of the game. The  educators guide  has ideas of how you can utilize the game to meet standards and includes ideas for extension activities.  In the 6-8 Grade section, there is a career cluster assessment activity called "Who R U?" . It is web-based. The Vi...
Read more