Supporting Your Child Through Their Exams

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Exams are a big part of any school child's time in education and getting through them can be a stressful and emotional time for everyone. A big part of a child’s development is navigating through their GCSEs and any future exams, A Levels, NVQs, BTEC courses and apprenticeships, depending on what your child wants to do in the future. All the stress, anxiety and often pressure, can take its toll on children if they feel overwhelmed with revision, managing studies and juggling how often they need to revise for exams across the summer. 

To help your child with their studies, here are some tips from this boarding school in Somerset to help your child get through their exams. 

Give your child some space

Take it easy when you’re handling your child during this time. You might find your child is a bit more uptight and overwhelmed with their work each week, especially when it gets closer to the exam dates. Make them their favourite meals after a day of studying, or get a nice dessert the day after the exam is over. Give them some time to handle their stresses so that they can focus on their exams and what they need to achieve each day. You could always try asking them what they need or how you can help. It might just be a hot bath, some alone time to listen to music or perhaps they may want a shoulder to lean on and chat too. 

Ensure they have a good sleep schedule

It’s easy to get in the heat of the moment when you’re studying and spend all night working on something. It’s actually better to take a break and head to bed at an appropriate time instead of staying up late to finish something off. Tell your child to stop studying about an hour before their bedtime so they have plenty of time to unwind before heading to sleep. A good sleep schedule will allow your child to retain information and reduce their levels of stress as a result. Staring at books or screens right before you try to sleep is only going to mean your brain is still ticking along in overdrive when you try to get to sleep. 

Find a good studying space for your child

Make a place in the home where they can work without any distractions and allow them to work in silence. The big benefit to working on your studies in solitude gives you the best chance to work on your revision, and your child will need this space to focus on their exam work and other studies. People are more likely to focus on their studies if they’re able to have a dedicated place to work on their revision, homework or other assignments. Ensure this space is equipped with everything they may need including books, stationary and even things like water and snacks! 

Offer to help wherever you’re able

There are other ways you can help your child, such as cutting up flash cards for them, printing out exam past papers ahead of time and organising your child’s studying desk. Even the little things can help motivate your child to do their work on time and get them focused quickly after dinner or straight after school. When it’s all done, be sure to praise or reward your child for a job well done, and look forward to exam results day!

How do you help your child to destress during an anxious exam period? If you have any more tips that have helped your family please do let me know in the comments below. 

xXx

**This is a collaboration post.**