Exams seem to always be a stressful time for children and for the parents. There is a lot of pressure on children to perform well in their exams and this pressure often causes anxiety which results in more stress and lower results.

Some ideas to make studying more ……

1. Manage expectations – this goes for both parents and the learners. If your child is not a straight A student during their classwork and class assessments it is unfair to expect them to achieve A’s in their exams. Your child may have stronger subjects in which they do well in and other subjects that they find more challenging. It should be more important that your child is putting in the effort and trying their best. Your child’s efforts should be praised.
2. Set realistic goals –instead of trying to get over 80% for all of the subjects, the learner could choose their strongest subject and aim high for those but if for example they find math’s really challenging then it may be a big accomplishment to achieve 60% in that exam.
3. Positive attitude – exams are a stressful time, parents and caregivers should encourage the learner to work hard and to be proud of their efforts. Exams are scary but they are also an opportunity for the learners to apply all of their knowledge that they have been learning during class. Remind them that they have done all of the work already and now they are just revising the work. If you stay calm and positive then your child is more likely to also be calm and positive.
4. Planning – once your child receives their exam timetable then you should sit down together and help your child plan a study timetable that allows them enough time to prepare in advance for their exams. This timetable should include regular study breaks, breaks for meals, and a time for your child to de-stress, and do activities they enjoy such as playing with their friends. Balance is key and half an hour study sessions each day will be a lot less stressful and more beneficial then a late night three hour cramming session before the big exam.
5. Ask for help – if your child is really struggling with a concept or subject, contact the teacher and ask if they could send home some extra activities for you to work through together at home. For example even though Math’s is not typically a studying subject your child can practice doing different examples of the sums.
6. Be Prepared – your child will feel less stressed if they have been revising continuously up to the exam, if they know which exams they are writing when and the times of the exams, if they know that they have all of the stationary and materials they need for the exam. It is always better to have extra stationary in case a pen stops working, a pencil gets lost, or a friend needs to borrow a ruler. On the day of the exam make sure your child has a good healthy breakfast and lunch at school to help them keep up their energy levels, your child won’t be able to concentrate on a grumbly stomach.
7. Find a study style that works – every child learns differently and they should try out different approaches to find out what works for them, for example:
   1. Auditory learners – learn by listening, may need to say the work out aloud, they may turn their study material into a song, they may want you to ask them questions verbally and they answer them verbally. Could benefit from study groups.
   2. Visual learners – learn by seeing or reading, write out notes and highlight important points, they may do well with mind maps and charts, and flash cards.
   3. Kinesthetic learners – learn by doing and moving, turning their study material into a dance or play, enjoy role playing, can read work while bouncing a tennis ball, practicing timetables or spelling words while throwing a ball to each other, enjoy more practical based activities.

Written by Samantha Bolton – Remedial Therapist