Exam Fever

It’s the time of the year when children are tested and parents are stressed
theSun, Tue, 25 May 2010

MOST Malaysian school-going children have probably already sat for their mid-year examinations or are about to do so.

Parents, especially those with younger children, sometimes feel as if they are the ones taking the exams, and not their children.

They tend to get anxious, worried and stressed out if they feel their children are not prepared enough to face the exam.

A large part of our lives as responsible and loving parents involves spending as much time as we can with our children. The security of a loving and stable family and home provides our children with a conducive environment for learning.

When you have a good relationship with your child, he will be more receptive when you tell him about the importance of doing consistent revision in order to be better prepared for exams. He will also share his problems with you more freely and seek your help.

Sit with him and help him as he studies. The study area should be free from distractions such as the computer, television or toys.

Develop a routine for study time, and help him draw up a timetable. Make a list of all the subjects and topics that need to be covered to ensure that he studies everything, and not only his favourites.

Provide adequate breaks in between to allow him to rest. Younger children may have a shorter attention span and will not be able to sit down too long to study.

Short breaks will enable them to release their pent-up energy and they will be more willing to continue studying afterwards.

Make your child practise answering questions. Provide him with worksheets or sample exam questions to do. While it is important for your child to remember what he has learnt, he must also know how to use the information to answer the exam questions within the time allocated.

How we feel and act impact our child. If our stress and anxiety rub off on him, he may end up becoming nervous or overwhelmed.

Try not to upset him, and keep him cheerful so that he will face his exam in good spirits.

Also, make sure he eats healthily and gets enough sleep.

In order to help our children prepare for an exam, we need to have a healthy view of exams ourselves.

Exams are just a way of measuring how much a child has learnt and if he is able to apply the knowledge.

We must remember that all children are wired differently. Therefore, we should not compare our children with their classmates or relatives and neighbours.

Praise his effort. If he had done his best, do not blame or punish him if he does not do well. Help him understand that the results do not define who he is. They are just an assessment tool.

Review the mistakes he has made, and encourage him to learn from them.

Finally, we must remember that we are not the ones taking the exam. We cannot "study" on behalf of our children.

They need to cultivate the desire to do well. They need to learn to face the consequences if they choose not to work hard.

They need to learn to be responsible for themselves and the fact that to succeed, they must work hard.