Tips to reduce exam stress

Exams are very important and crucial time in children’s lives. Here are a few tips that I have tried and worked well for me. Each child is different and these are only guidelines.

1.       Have a schedule. A well-defined schedule reduces stress and helps child feel relaxed.  A well- defined timetable helps him to focus and keep his mind off worry.

2.       Diet.  A nutritionally rich diet always helps the child to keep calm.  Nothing new should be tried at this time. A normal diet that the child is used to is great. Fresh fruits give plenty of energy and make them feel refreshed. My mum used to give me grapes and I loved it.

3.       Hydration. Staying well hydrated is important for children to focus on studies. Make sure they drink enough water.

4.       Keep calm. It is important that you as parent to keep calm. If you get stressed, your child is most likely to get stressed too.  Often parent’s anxiety makes the situation much worse. It affects the child negatively.

5.       Have normalcy. Have regular schedule. Making it look like any other normal day makes child feel relaxed. If you carry on with your normal routine, child feels like it is a normal day. It helps them feel relaxed.

6.       No screen.  I got this very unusual and important advice which I felt was very useful. No screen in the evening the day before exams. It helps the child to stay calm because they don’t get overstimulated by the screen.

7.       Sleep. It is essential to get good night sleep. No use having a sleep deprived child who is unable to focus on the study. Early bedtime helps the child to recover and focus on the exams.

8.       Breakfast. On the day of exam, it is important that the child eats freshly cooked homemade breakfast. It gives them enough strength to cope with the pressure and enough energy to deal with the stress.

9.       Stress relief. Deep breathing or meditation works well if the child feels stressed. Nothing new should be tried at this time. Just do what he is used to. Even playing outside for 30 minutes refreshes the mind and keeps it cool or just play board game or indoor games if he likes.  After play the child is usually more focused and relaxed.

10.   Reassurance. Before the child goes for exam, reassure him that no matter what the outcome may be, he will still be loved. It works like magic. It relieves pressure and makes them calm.