How to Support and Help Your Child During Exams

How to Support and Help Your Child During Exams

Exams time can become a challenge, not for a student only but the whole family. Still, the primary parents’ task is to support their child during the difficult period and not complicate things with arguments and pressure. From basic needs covered to professional assistance, there are a lot of things you can do to help your children through exams time. Learn the basic tips for your kids to pass exams successfully and with no harm to the mental and physical health of the family.

Balanced Diet

As easy as it may sound, you have to care that your children eat well in the time of increased stress. This is when – even more than normal – they need a healthy and balanced diet to keep them energized and concentrated throughout the day.

• Enrich the daily meal plan with fruits and veggies to keep food light but nutritious.
• Add dried fruits and nuts in the form of snacks to act as energy potions.
• Explore more about brain-boost food to help your kid’s cognitive skills. Consider fatty fish, dark chocolate, broccoli, and more for brain benefits.
• Cook food your children like to encourage them with little pleasures.
• Make sure your children follow the meal plan and have snacks at hand so that they have enough energy to study well.
• Avoid extra sugary and fatty food. The energy burns down fast, leaving your kid exhausted and irritated.

A balanced diet may not seem important to your children, but as a parent it is your job to keep them reasonably fed, especially during exams.

Enough Sleep

A sound sleep is another must for every student, even more so in the middle of exam week. An average teenager should sleep between eight and ten hours to manage to concentrate well and stay energized during the next day.

Establish a sleeping routine for the whole family to go to bed and get up at the same time. Care about the quality of sleep by airing the kid’s room before sleep, making them avoid caffeine, extra sugar, and screens before bedtime. Talk about all-nighters, making sure your kids understand that they won’t be able to finish up all the studies during the very last night, but they will feel terrible and won’t perform well for several days afterwards.

Besides, it will be good if you let your kids take a nap in the midday or sleep more at the weekends. Since they undergo a lot of stress and pressure, they need more time to recharge their batteries as well.

Practical Ideas

You can be of great help to your children during exam time if you come up with some practical ideas to optimize the study process and help them deal with exam stress. Here are some good examples:

• Organize a quiet corner for your child’s studies.
• Help with visualization or brainstorming if necessary.
• Ask whether your kid needs help with revision.

Even your attention and awareness of your children’s exam schedule will help your kids feel supported. Still, don’t be too intrusive as this can sometimes cause even more stress to them.

Inspiring Talks

It is important to back up your children not only with study issues but care about their emotional wellness also. Small, sincere talks about emotions and feelings from time to time will have positive outcomes both in the short and long run.

Let your children talk about how they feel about their exam time. Express your concern and support. Claim that it is normal to feel worried or scared about the upcoming challenges. Share your own study experience.

Encourage your children by being a good listener and calm advisor. It will help them feel more confident about their own powers and stay positive in general.

Regular Exercise

Interchanging mental and physical exercises boosts the learning process and memory capacity, so your task is to get ensured that your child makes breaks for sport during the exam week. 

Go jogging together in the morning. Have active weekends outdoors. Play beloved sports in the backyard. And just remind your child to make a pause in the study sessions once in a while and have a walk around the neighborhood for fresh air and gentle physical activity.

If you cannot get your kid moving, a good option is to get a puppy. This way, your student will have to walk a dog at least once a day and play with it for a while so that there will be a chance to exercise a little.

No Added Pressure

Your children undergo a great portion of stress and pressure during exams, and if you cannot do anything to help, you can at least not add an extra headache.

Try not to sort out family issues during exam time, postpone big discussions, save behavioral lectures for later. Realize that your kid is anxious enough to add to their list of concerns with other issues than exams.

In the same way, dirty dishes, an untidy room, and messy clothes can wait several days when your children are less overwhelmed with studies. Try to take the chores away from your kids for the exam period and supply steady and balanced surroundings for fruitful study sessions.

Little Rewards

Remember that positive reinforcement is the best encouragement for your kids in exam time and in general. So reward your kid with praise and minor gifts here and there to boost enthusiasm and add to the inspiration. Cook favorite dishes, take a break in study sessions to watch TV and have some ice cream together. Small pleasantries will express your love and support and encourage your children to study if not for good grades than for some presents.

Conclusion

Students tend to be increasingly irritable and stressed during exam time. As a parent, you have to do your best to create the study-nurturing surrounding and to support your kids in this challenging period. Please their physical needs, be there with emotional and physical encouragement, and try not to increase the stress level with your own issues.

Guest Article.