Testing Times: Help Your Child Cope With It

Examinations can be the biggest source of stress in a child’s life. However, they needn’t be such a colossal cause for worry if handled with the right approach and better time management.

The best way to combat stress is to recognize and deal wit it. It is perfectly normal to feel stress over examinations. One needs to find the best strategies to reduce it.

It is important to remember that each child is different and that many of the coping mechanisms your child chooses are those he sees in the behavior of the adults who care for him. If a child appears to be stuck in a regressed state and shows no signs of recovery, it is probably time to take a look at the way the situation is being handled.

How Parents Can Help:

• Parents can help by making sure your son or daughter gets enough sleep, not just on the night of the exam but throughout the days and weeks of revision.

• Ensure that your child keeps himself physically fit. Short walks and deep breathing techniques will help to keep his calm.

• Talk to your child- be in touch with his feelings. Tactfully suggest working out a realistic timetable and helping him stick to it.

• Think carefully about what revision time best suits your child. Help him by testing him to make sure the revision is working.

• Insist that he takes his breaks or simply pamper him when he has worked really hard.

• If your child is away at a boarding school or university, keep in touch with him during revisions and exams to offer encouragement and help him keep unreasonable worries under control.

• Most importantly, parents need to lighten the pressure they themselves place on their child so that they don’t worry unnecessarily. Be realistic about your son or daughter’s chances, don’t expect too much.