Exam time can be a tough time for kids and parents alike. The kids are stressed and not able to keep up with their other chores. The parents are stressed because the kids are stressed and because there is an extra workload on them.
How do you deal with the stress and make exam time tolerable for everybody? There are some methods you can use to ease your family through this period, and if you implement these ideas, you may not dread test time so much.
Encourage Them to Plan Ahead
One of the biggest problems with testing time in school is that kids feel suddenly overwhelmed by all they have to do. They go from enjoying their days to having to buckle down and study all the time. You can help ease them into it by having them study ahead.
Whenever they have extra free time in a day, encourage them to use some of that to study for the tests that will be coming in the future. If they have free time in class, then encourage them to use that time to prepare for tests and to go over the work they have already covered.
That way, when the tests start, they will already be somewhat prepared. They won’t feel like they need to cram for each test since they will have already been studying and will know much of the material. Instead of starting fresh with some of that material, they will have been solidifying it in their minds ahead of time.
Take a Load off of Them
It can be tough for kids to do all of their regular house chores along with studying for tests. That can be a lot for them to handle, and you can help them out by taking care of some of those chores for them. Maybe you could wash the dishes, take out the trash, or clean their rooms for them. They don’t have to be taken off all of their house chores, but you should think about reducing the chores they have to do while they are preparing for tests.
One way to do this is to hire a service for best-in-class housekeeping for busy families. Choose a cleaning company that you trust and that you feel good about having in your home, and ask them to take care of some of the housework. You could hire them to work on the problem rooms that would take you the most time and save you and your family some time cleaning at this crucial period.
Look for ways you can take some of your kids’ burdens and handle them yourself. This will help them to stress less because they will have less to do. They will still need free time and a chance to relax while they work, and your pitching in will help them find time to do that.
Have Them Take Regular Breaks
As your kids study, they may get into a mode where they just hyper focus on their work and block out everything else. This is great for really intensive studying, but it can be harmful after a while. They may forget to use the bathroom, drink water, and stretch. You should encourage them to take regular breaks, even if it is to get up and walk to the kitchen to take a glass of water to drink.
If they still have house chores to do, then you can always step into their room where they are studying and tell them to take a break from schoolwork and take out the trash or feed the pets. This gets their body moving, and it encourages good circulation. It will help improve their ability to think and retain information and will give their minds a break from studying.
That is helpful for reducing stress and making the workload of school not feel so overpowering and burdensome.
Ensure Proper Sleep
Do you know what kids need more than anything else when they are studying? It’s sleep. If they are not getting a good rest each night, then they will be more likely to be stressed and tired and feel overwhelmed. If they are not sleeping enough, then they will lack focus and have trouble retaining information. Their mind and body will work against them as they try to study and do well on tests.
It is important to have your kids stop studying at a certain hour of the night and put them to bed. They may resist and they may want to keep studying, but there comes a point where sleeping is more important for their test performance than their study. They can study to all hours of the night and then do poorly on their tests because of the lack of focus and their tiredness.
Try to arrange their schedules while studying for exams so that they have enough time for sleep. In order to make that happen, you may need to cut out video game time and television watching. You may also need to cut out some extracurricular activities, like parties, outings, and other unnecessary diversions.
They should have a regular wake up and sleep time each day so that they sleep well and feel rested. If their sleep schedule is erratic, then their body will always feel tired, and they will have trouble falling asleep.
Reduce Stress
Think about ways you can cut back the stress in their lives while they are preparing for tests. The testing time is stressful enough without other stressors being added to that.
All of the suggestions we have listed so far will help with reducing stress, but you should look for other methods to use as well. Try to be kind and patient with them during this time, giving them some extra space and a little extra leeway. Understand that they are under stress, and try not to respond with stress of your own.
If you can do all of that, then test time might not be so difficult for all of you.