Exam time is not only a tough time for your children, but also for parents! While parents can manage to deal with it, it’s been seen that children are increasingly getting more and more stressed about exams.
The current situation for class 10 and class 12 students in India is a bit strange. Many of them have had their exams truncated mid-way due to Covid-19. So, while a class 10 student may have been promoted and is studying the Class 11 syllabus, he is still studying his remaining subjects for his remaining Class 10 exams!!
As a parent, we can do some things to help our child through the stress-
Here are some tips that may help:
- First and foremost – we need to stay calm ourselves. If we are anxious, then we transmit anxiety. And children are fast to pick up on that.
- Even though it’s really difficult, keep a fixed window for Digital Distractions. Children always keep fixed study hours and it’s not uncommon to hear ” I cannot study for more than 4 hours a day “. So, tell them there will also be fixed hours for use of phones/laptops, etc. during exam days. This will allow them to concentrate better on their studies.
- Good night’s sleep is important for both body and mind to function normally. It helps to relax the nerves and alert the mind. Effective sleep helps to increase memory and reduce stress levels. Therefore, make sure your child should have at least 7-8 hours of sleep. Control over cell phone usage will help in getting better sleep. So, if you find kids using the phone at night tell them you will have to take it away if you see it happening again.
- Feed them well. It is important to give your child a well-balanced and healthy diet. Make sure your child doesn’t miss meals and eats on time. Healthy and nutritious food help to improve concentration. Keep away from heavy meals. Remember that children are not getting enough exercise and heavy meals may make them feel sluggish.
- To give your child some extra motivation, consider rewarding them with something they want for a long time and would be very pleased to get. If your child has been asking for something for long and you have been putting it off, surprise him by buying it for him. Since children don’t have much else going on during exams this little gesture acts as a boost.
- Be around. Exam stress makes children cranky. They may also misbehave and want to be left alone. But they still want to see you around the house. So put your social life on hold for some time and just be around. It’s a big stabilizing influence on children.
Our children try their best, and we should realize that every child has a limit and will only be able to perform accordingly. We must trust the strengths of our children and recognize their limitations.
