Family & Education
With exam season upon us, how you can help your child deal with stress
June 4, 2015 12:21
By, Natalie Lancer
4 min read
ByNatalie Lancer, Natalie Lancer
Stress is an inevitable part of preparing for exams. Indeed, an optimum amount of stress will propel your child to study harder and write and think faster in the actual exam. The key, as a parent, is for you to remain calm and support your child through this period by encouragement - and definitely by not adding any unnecessary stress.
Some basic ways to support your child include allocating a space for them to work in. Keep other siblings away from them and don't burden them with household chores. Make sure you provide healthy meals for them and bring them regular snacks every couple of hours.
Remember: these are your child's exams, not yours. You do not have to micro-manage them, and such an approach will not help to develop your child's revision abilities. Of course, take an interest, but provide discreet encouragement.
Stress is generated from a lack of confidence. A successful day of revision will breed another successful day, so put in place these strategies early - for example, by suggesting that they construct a revision timetable. Ensure all topics are covered by using an online syllabus and ticking off the topics as they are allocated.
Offer to print off past papers and mark schemes, which can all be found online, as working through these is an invaluable source of revision.
‘Stress is generated from a lack of confidence’
It is not cheating to look at mark schemes; in fact, it is important to know how the examiners "want" the question to be answered. It is important that your child is aware of the structure of each exam - how many questions need to be answered, how many minutes they should allocate to each question, whether there is a choice of questions and so on.
The time to be firm is when it comes to using their computer or mobile phone. I suggest removing these from your child while they are revising. Your child should focus on revision for 40 minutes at a time and then have a 15-minute break. Encourage them to get some fresh air during their break and give their phone back for them to catch up on Instagram or Facebook, but then take it away again during the next 40 minutes. By discussing these ground rules in advance, you can establish what will work for your child together and help them feel in control and understand that you are supporting them.
Above all, remind your child (and yourself) that exams are not the be all and end all. Tell them that you will love them no matter what the result, and that all you ask is that they do the best they can.
Your child has nothing to lose by revising, and everything to gain. Keep reminding them that the revision and exam period is finite. Soon it will all be over, and over the summer holidays they can do all the things they were not able to do in abundance.V Stress is an inevitable part of preparing for exams. Indeed, an optimum amount of stress will propel your child to study harder and write and think faster in the actual exam. The key, as a parent, is for you to remain calm and support your child through this period by encouragement - and definitely by not adding any unnecessary stress.
Some basic ways to support your child include allocating a space for them to work in. Keep other siblings away from them and don't burden them with household chores. Make sure you provide healthy meals for them and bring them regular snacks every couple of hours.
Remember: these are your child's exams, not yours. You do not have to micro-manage them, and such an approach will not help to develop your child's revision abilities. Of course, take an interest, but provide discreet encouragement.
Stress is generated from a lack of confidence. A successful day of revision will breed another successful day, so put in place these strategies early - for example, by suggesting that they construct a revision timetable. Ensure all topics are covered by using an online syllabus and ticking off the topics as they are allocated.
Offer to print off past papers and mark schemes, which can all be found online, as working through these is an invaluable source of revision.
It is not cheating to look at mark schemes; in fact, it is important to know how the examiners "want" the question to be answered. It is important that your child is aware of the structure of each exam - how many questions need to be answered, how many minutes they should allocate to each question, whether there is a choice of questions and so on.
The time to be firm is when it comes to using their computer or mobile phone. I suggest removing these from your child while they are revising. Your child should focus on revision for 40 minutes at a time and then have a 15-minute break. Encourage them to get some fresh air during their break and give their phone back for them to catch up on Instagram or Facebook, but then take it away again during the next 40 minutes. By discussing these ground rules in advance, you can establish what will work for your child together and help them feel in control and understand that you are supporting them.
Above all, remind your child (and yourself) that exams are not the be all and end all. Tell them that you will love them no matter what the result, and that all you ask is that they do the best they can.
Your child has nothing to lose by revising, and everything to gain. Keep reminding them that the revision and exam period is finite. Soon it will all be over, and over the summer holidays they can do all the things they were not able to do in abundance.
Natalie Lancer is an education expert and founder of MyUniApplication. She offers guidance on revision, study skills and university applications, and also gives personal development sessions for adults. Contact her on 07747 612 513 or visit www.myuniapplication.com
