The very thought of Board Exams is enough to make a student feel highly stressed and anxious but as parents it is our responsibility to make our children feel relaxed and help them go through this phase with the right frame of mind. Parents have a very important role to play in helping their children cope with the exam stress. Their actions can either motivate the children or pressurize them to score more. Motivation and moral support from parents has shown to help a child’s academic performance whereas putting too much pressure on the child to score high in exams can actually reduce his/her mental capabilities and add to the stress levels.
These tips will help you as a parent in keeping your child at ease during exams:
- Make sure that your child gets proper sleep. Stressing over exams often leads to children missing out on their nap times which can have a detrimental impact on their concentration levels during the exam. Late night studies may work for some kids but not all can cope with the lethargy that accompanies with this habit.
- Be a part of your child’s study routine by taking up their revisions. Ask them if there are certain concepts that they do not understand and try your best to offer them an easy explanation for the same. If unable to do so, you can always get help from their teacher or tuition teacher or another parent.
- Ease up the environment at home. Exams cannot be taken lightly, and yes, as a parent you must ensure that the child follows a certain study routine when it comes to preparing for his/her exams but sometimes parents tend to go overboard in disciplining their child. This could prove to be counter-productive. What you can do, is try to create a relaxing atmosphere at home whereby you have a friendly chat with the child about topics other than exams/studies. Allow them to indulge in some of their favorite pass time for an hour or so. This will create a relaxing ambiance at home. If you are relaxed, the conscious and subconscious parts of the mind interact in a better way, thereby reducing the chances of freezing up during exams.
- Ensure that your child follows a proper Diet. It is recommended for children of all ages to meet their nutritional requirements in order to promote proper growth and body functioning. During exams, it is natural for a child to experience some amount of anxiety and nervousness which is why their diet has to be constantly monitored. Avoid junk food which can trigger stomach problems. Also eliminate frozen items like ice-creams & cold drinks which can result in throat infections with fever like symptoms. Focus on providing them with a balanced diet that includes food items which are easily digestible.
- Guide them in the right direction and give them your total support. When children know that their parents will always support them regardless of their scores, the entire ordeal becomes a lot stress free which consequently puts a positive spin on their overall performance during exams. This can be done with the help of encouragement not pressure.
Make your kids feel secure by being there for them in every step of the way. Stress will automatically take a backseat