This guide will help you manage and support your kids through their exam stress and help you be more understanding.
Exam stress for kids can be caused by:
- Fear of failing
- Thinking the worst
- Unrealistic expectations
- Feeling unprepared
- Ending of starting a new school year or term
- Performance anxiety
- Struggling to understand exam revision
Every child responds differently to exam stress, some openly express what they are feeling or going through and other kids hold it in and try to deal with it themselves.
What you can expect from your kids when exam stress hits:
- Acne breakouts
- Chest tightness or pain (mild)
- Blaming others, anger or frustration
- Having difficulty going to sleep or waking up
- Saying negative things about the future
- Indecisive
- Nausea or upset stomach
- Teeth grinding
- Nail biting
- Fidgeting
- Being cranky and irritable
- Increased yelling, crying, swearing, lashing out
How you can support your child during their exam stress:
- Don’t push your kids too far and only ever put realistic expectations on them
- Always be constructive and positive
- Encourage and implement good sleep patterns
- Encourage and implement a healthy and balanced diet
- Provide a quiet, cool and clutter-free space for them to study and prepare for their exams
- Make sure their study space has direct daylight reaching the space, as daylight increases productivity by 15%
- Give them study breaks and teach them the importance of taking some time away from their study so they are refreshed and refueled when they come back
- If you kids are unsure about exam revision at home, get them to make a list of questions to ask the teacher the next day
- Make sure your kids are on time for their exams, and well prepared
How you can support your child for the day of the exam:
- Make sure they have an early night before the exam
- Make sure they have a healthy and whole dinner and are feeling satisfied
- Help them know what to expect on the day
- Make sure they have pre-packed their bag with all of their required stationary and study notes for the exam
- Pack them a lunch to take for the exam
- Help quiz them
- Make sure they eat breakfast in the morning
- Give them positive words of affirmation before they leave for the exam
- Drop them off at the exam with plenty of time to spare
- After the exam, listen to their concerns and avoid criticising them
- Offer words of encouragement for their efforts
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