The major cause for stress among children during their exams is often the fear of failure. While it is very common, if you don’t employ some specific steps, your child might become a victim of various mental health issues. A little stress is fine, but when it crosses the line, the consequences one faces are not very pleasant. Here’s a short guide by Etutorworld that will serve as your guide to helping your child reduce exam stress in their life.
As parents, while we all want them to do well in school and in life, our prime duty is to keep that innocent smile in their face. So, before you read further, recognize the signs of stress your child might be going through. It is different for everyone. Anxiety, sleeplessness, loss of appetite, headache, and fatigue are some of the major signs that scream ‘stress’ in excessive limits.
1. Make a study schedule for them
The major reason children are so stressed during exams is because of the lack of confidence. They fear not performing well which hampers their mental peace. The best you can do is, boost their confidence, encourage them to make a study schedule for themselves and prepare accordingly. A study schedule will help them prepare in advance and keep them on track with their long syllabus.
2. Hire Tutors
The main idea behind helping your child reduce exam stress is, as said above, boosting their confidence. So, one more addition to the previous step would be to hire a tutor who can guide them on the weaker subject areas. For example, if your child fears math, then naturally they would have a lot of stress before their math exam. An expert math tutor would be in the best interest for you and your child. Professional tutors often face scenarios where children are overtly-stressed and are equipped with the necessary expertise to handle them in this situation. Moving to 9th grade wasn’t easy for me, I was weak in certain subjects and I had changed schools. My mom got me this 9th grade online program and this one initiative really changed my perspective towards life and success.
3. Diet, Exercise, and Sleep
Rightly said, health comes before wealth – what’s the whole point of long months of preparation when in the end their body wouldn’t let them perform for the exam? To avoid this, keep a strict eye on their diet, exercise routines, and sleeping patterns. Make it a point to feed your child with proper vitamins and nutrients. 30-minutes of light exercise in the morning is a great way for your children to get ready for the day. They could go for a run, play a sport, or anything they like. Sleep governs concentration and you wouldn’t want to compromise on that during exam days. So, ensure they get at least 8 hours of sleep a day to reduce exam stress.
4. Ask an expert
If nothing is working, and as the days pass by things are going from bad to worse, it is time to make an appointment with a counsellor. If your child is not showing any signs of improvement despite the numerous efforts you have been putting in, do not waste time or hesitate to meet a professional. An expert’s guidance on your child’s problems will show you the right direction. There is a reason we call them experts!
5. Teach them to accept failures and move on
Do not let your child think that exams are everything in life. Exams are just a part and parcel of life which DOES NOT decide their potential or success in life. So when the failure strikes, it is your duty to stand beside them and whisper the much-needed statement ‘every failure is a new chance to succeed.’ More often than not, children are stressed because they think, they have failed to meet the expectations. Tell them these figures don’t determine your pride in them and see how they reduce exam stress!
While we wrap up this article, here’s one final tip – Every child is different and has their own skillset. So never compare them to others. Instead, keep reminding them how you are proud of them for the person they arebecoming and I assure you they will never disappoint you!
