Be SMART (Helping your child cope with exam stress)

Member Name: LauraElliott

Product:	Helping your child cope with exam stress
Date:	12/05/02 (300 review reads)
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Advantages: Helps with stressful exams, Makes exams a lot easier, Combines fun with revising

Disadvantages: Exam times are usually stressful

You may be thinking that exam stress is more likely to occur in children and teenagers of an older age at secondary school, but recent research has actually shown that it is becoming more popular in primary school children from the ages of between five and eleven.


Exams are a test that almost everyone has to experience in their lives - some people go through it with confidence, yet other's go through it and suffer with stress. Stress is defined as a physical strain on the body, it is characterised by symptoms such as lack of appetite, nervousness, lack of sleep and migraines.


As far as I am aware of, there is no cure for the tension that builds up before an exam, things such as counting to ten, taking deep breaths and just relaxing, don't seem to work for most people, although there are simpler ways that parents can help their children. Instead of using something prescribed by a doctor, why not use your common sense solution and follow the SMART rule. The SMART ruling covers a few helpful bits of advice for exam time:


-Sleep
-Motivation
-Activity
-Revising
-Timetable


I am going to break the five categories above into separate sections, to make things easier to understand.


SLEEPING PATTERN

It is important that during the exam period of time, your child gets a lot of sleep and fits into a regular sleeping pattern. During exams times, there is often a tendency to stay up late, either worrying or revising about what is to come the following day - but we all know, this is not a good recommended idea. It is important that your child does not enter the exam feeling tired or insecure of their knowledge. Healthy eating is also essential, but make sure that no fizzy drinks or 'heavy' food is eaten, otherwise the child will not be able to concentrate with 'food on the brain'.


MOTIVATION

One thing that you must continuously re
member to do, is to make sure that your child keeps on task and stays motivated, whether it be during exam time, or at any other time. During exam time, children may begin to feel both exhausted and at time frustrated with the learning progress. It is therefore essential that your child stays motivated and that you help them to do this.
There are many forms of motivation, praise is an excellent way of making your child know that they are doing well and that they are achieving alright. If your child feels as though they are putting in effort and working hard, they will continue to do so and it will show that you have recognised this. Material rewards (nothing too flash) are also a good idea, like an incentive, although something which will not act as a distraction, such as a new toy car. For future exams, this gives them the incentive to do well, even if they haven't done as well as you hoped in the current exams.


ACTIVITIES

Children often think of exam time being all doom and gloom and no fun at all. The truth is that it doesn't have to be thought of from such a negative viewpoint. Even if it is only a ten minute activity, at least it acts as a break between revising, and shows that it is a necessary and welcome distraction. The break will help stimulate your child, as well as relax them and help them to absorb and take in all of the information they have learnt. A physical activity is a good idea, and fresh air is essential. Too much information too quickly creates stress and is a recipe for disaster. If there is a few day gaps between each exam, let the child meet up with friends and they can the discuss exam ideas and catch up on bits that they do not understand as well as their friends might do.


REVISING

The revision time leading up to the first day of the exams is very important - it is best to designate a specific amount of time just for revising, rather than do it when you feel like it in little bit
s here and there. It is important that realistic goals are set and that the child is not expected to achieve highly above standard on targets, otherwise this will just make them feel like a failure if they do not do as well as you hoped or thought they would do. When revising, help your child to summarise information at the end of each learning module. This way, most of the big chunks of revising are already taken care of well before the exams. The day before the exam can be used to look at all the recap summaries. Your child will feel in control of the situation and hopefully avoid getting stressed about the exams.


TIMETABLE

Revising during the exam days should be organised properly as well. Make sure you help your child to work out a fun looking exam timetable. The basic timetable should include and cover the day before the exam, subject to be studied, meal times, break times following information but this will vary according to the particular individual and their exam. The timetable should have a checklist to ensure that all the main areas have been covered in time for the exam. The day before the exam should be fairly relaxed, as the entire main learning has hopefully been taken care of. The timetable can sit alongside a calendar where your child can happily mark off each exam day as it gets over. It is important to provide a clean, healthy environment for your child with as little distraction as possible. Help them do a mock exam (well before the exam day) to give them an idea of past exams.


In addition to all this, exams are not always a true reflection of how bright your child is - they may have a lot of other talents. So, if they are not performing up to your expectations, don't give up hope. Be there to support your child and make sure he/she realises this.


How does your child react to exams? However well or badly he or she copes, the whole family probably heave a sigh of relief when the exams are o
ver.
Your child may think you don't understand or have forgotten how pressurised exam time is. The information below may provide some reminders and help you help them at this stressful time ...


Article taken from The Independent: Stressed parents 'bribe' exam pupils
http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=7 5951
Would you offer your child incentives to get good grades? Read research carried out last year into the topic and see how your behaviour could be adding to your child's stress levels.

Parents' Tips for Exam Students
http://www.edexcel.org.uk/edexcel/NEWS.NSF/pub licwebnewsbysection/5C034164BD14 E11980256B3A00503767?OpenDocument
Tell children you love them just as much however they do - so says Cherie Blair as she reveals her tips for helping children through exams. Read what parents have to say in 'Parents' Top Ten Tips for Exam Students'.

Childline: Exam Stress
http://www.childline.org.uk/factsheets/exam1.h tm
Read up on techniques to help children get through their exams from the planning of the revision timetable to the big day itself. Be on hand with some useful advice for when it is requested!


Improve Study Skills
http://www.unc.edu/depts/unc_caps/TenTraps.htm l
Help your child develop good study techniques with this sensible advice on studying and preparing for exams. 'I don?t know where to begin' and similar student comments are addressed in the 'Ten Traps of Studying'.

Exam nerves
http://www.unimed.co.uk/health/leaflets/ExamNe rves.htm
Making continual cups of coffee might not be the best way to help you child deal with exam stress. Find out about stress reduction measures and relaxation techniques which could help your child - and yourself - cope with exams.

Exam Stress and Revision
http://www.pupiline.net/issues/examstress/0103 226811020.cfm
If your child won't listen to your advice t
hen perhaps he will take the advice of another student. Pupiline - 'for us by us' - is a very readable account of coping with exams and revision, written by a student.

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