Helping your child deal with exam stress
Now that exam season is upon us you may be wondering how you can help your child to deal with the pressure and stress. A normally relaxed and laid back child can suddenly become irritable and confrontational when faced with important exams.
As a parent remembering that the exams won’t last forever and that any changes in behaviour are temporary can help you to help your child. Hard though challenging behaviour may be to deal with at the time it is better to offer help and assistance, rather than punishment. Ask your child what you can do that would help them the most. It could be that they would like you to help them revise or that they would prefer to be left alone. Each child is different.
Try not to add to the pressure that your child is already under. You will of course want them to do well and try their best but life can become quite difficult in a household at this time of year so anything you do should release this tension. This could include helping your child to create a revision timetable, helping them to revise or simply encouraging them to take regular breaks. It is important that your child is aware that they need to look after themselves in body and mind.
Eating and sleeping well are essential to good exam performance. Though your child may not want the healthy option and would much rather eat high-fat or high sugar foods this won’t help them to concentrate or do well in their exams. Try to save these types of food as post exam treats and encourage healthy eating habits. Staying hydrated, eating breakfast and following a healthy diet will all make a difference.
Exams are stressful so your child will need opportunities to relax. It is not possible to concentrate all of the time so ‘switching off’ for a bit by watching TV or playing sports can be a good way of recharging before getting stuck back in to revision.
Andrew Gregory
Director Victvs Ltd.