Exam time, as also the weeks preceding it, is synonymous with anxiety in any school-going child’s life. Also, considering the keen levels of competition today, children are facing an ever increasing pressure to excel, right from early on. The result is that they are burdened with whopping levels of stress at a relatively younger age.
As a parent you are compelled to walk a tight rope. While you cannot afford to let your child lag behind, you don’t want your child to buckle under the pressure either. Here are some things you can do to help your child handle the stress of examinations more positively and achieve greater success.
Supervise the study Your child obviously studies enough at school and, in all probability, goes for tuitions or classes as well. However, neither of these can substitute for the lack of adequate involvement on your part. It is important that you spend some time, preferably daily, to help your child stay on par with school work.
You are not necessarily expected to explain each subject or resolve technical difficulties. What is required, however, is that you supervise your child’s daily study. Discuss the syllabus and gauge your child’s level of preparedness. If you find that your child has difficulty dealing with specific subjects, find ways to help your child overcome these. Always lend a willing ear and provide reassurance to help overcome fear or nervousness.
These are some tips to help your child study better:
Ensure that your child studies for sometime every day, rather than waiting for the exams to be declared.
Get your child to first understand the subject matter thoroughly, so that memorizing answers later becomes easier.
As the exams draw close, help your child plan a time table to schedule daily study.
Inculcate healthy practices Healthy habits can help your child cope with the stress of exams and improve their performance. These are things you can do to enable this:
Ensure that your child follows regular timings. Also, waking up early in the morning to study is a much healthier option than cramming through the night and then sleeping in late the next day.
Feed your child a healthy diet. Ensure that it includes an ample of fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
Restrict the amount of junk food, colas or caffeinated beverages your child has. For treats, encourage your child to substitute healthier options like nuts or dry fruits for sweets or fried, salty snacks.
Encourage your child to get at least some exercise daily. Ideally this should include outdoor activity, such as playing a sport, cycling or even simply taking a walk.
During the exam days, ensure that your child get enough rest and sleep, and travels to and from the examination venue in time, without unnecessary stress.
Ensure a balance Remember the old adage about the effects of all work and no play? A break, even while studying for an exam, is crucial to help children relax and refresh their overworked minds. Encourage your child to take some time off to do something pleasurable – whether it is watching TV, taking the dog for a romp or meeting up with friends. Just make sure he/ she gets back to the books on time as scheduled.
Finally, as parents it’s important to encourage children to do their best, but without imposing expectations. Emphasize, throughout, that your love is absolutely unconditional, irrespective of academic performance or results.
Exam time, as also the weeks preceding it, is synonymous with anxiety in any school-going child’s life. Also, considering the keen levels of competition today, children are facing an ever increasing pressure to excel, right from early on. The result is that they are burdened with whopping levels of stress at a relatively younger age.