When it comes to exam time, inevitably you will notice your kids getting very stressed out. Exams are one of the first thing in most kids’ lives that require responsibility to be taken. Until this point in every other aspect of their lives, a lot of kids will have been looked after by their parents, so the independence faced in exams can feel very stressful. While you cannot do your kids’ exams for them, you can certainly guide them through the process and help them to prepare and ensure the best outcome possible. Here are a couple of things that you can do as a parent to help your kids in their exam prep.
Do Some Practice Tests with Them
Firstly, practice makes perfect, so if you do some practice tests with your kids, they will feel a lot more prepared and ready for the real thing. This will give them an idea of the kinds of questions they may be asked as well as how long they should be spending on the exam, both of which mean any nasty shocks will be avoided. If you are prepping for the CAT4, for example, you can find practice tests online which can help prepare them for what’s to come. You could go through this with your child, making sure they make notes on anything that stands out or that they feel they are likely to forget.
Keep an Eye on Their Bedtimes
One of the best things to do to prepare for exams, aside from knowing the content well, is to keep an eye on their bedtimes, making sure they are not overtired when it comes to their exams. You should try and keep this as consistent as possible, which will mean they are getting roughly the same amount of sleep each night and getting up at a similar time too. Having a fixed schedule is good for mental health as well as general energy levels, since your body will know when it is supposed to be awake and when it is meant to be getting ready for sleep. It will also give you an indication of when you should go to bed in the evening, as you will reach a level of tiredness that your body recognises.
Ensure They Are Relaxing as Well as Working
As well as working hard to learn content for exams, you should make sure your child is relaxing at appropriate times too. Depending on which exams they are doing and how much they will determine the outcome of their lives, you should set a certain number of hours per day for revision – but also make sure that you highlight that there is a maximum time limit that they should not exceed. Equally, if your child is doing a long stretch of work or revision, they should break this up with fun activities to give their brain a chance to switch off for a bit and refresh. This could be physical activity, a game, or having a nice snack as a treat. Working constantly is as unhealthy as hardly working, so a balance is really needed to find that perfect centre point.
Exams are usually not as hard as your child may think, but the ease with which they complete them is quite determined by their surroundings and their home life. If you, as their parent, take an active role in ensuring they are looked after properly as well as keeping them motivated, the stress will be dramatically decreased and their success rates will also skyrocket. Take these tips on board to help prepare your kids for their exams.