Welcome to the Tuesday Toots!

The exams season is a few weeks away and you can feel the tension in the air. The troika of parents, teachers and students get into this merry dance of who can create the most stress for the other two. It’s an annual performance and been going on for years now.

But it’s no longer to be taken lightly. The number of children succumbing to different degrees of breakdowns, and the expectations of the parents reaching the sky, it’s time for ground level intervention.

This newsletter explores effective strategies for parents and educators to support children in managing examination stress and nurturing their success.

“Don’t stress. Do your best. Forget the rest.”

Be honest, who doesn’t want to know a way out of this situation? The ambitions of the parents, the anxiety of the students and the pressures from the teachers create a heady mix for mental stress and anxiety. And we certainly don’t want to encourage the growth of this form of pandemic.

Let’s discover practical ways to alleviate exam stress, enhance the mental health of children, build confidence, and improve their academic performance.

And how do we do that? There are simple and practical steps to handle this situation. You no longer need to walk on eggshells when checking up on the child’s progress or talking to them about their preparations.

Let’s explore strategies to empower children, ensuring they navigate exams with confidence and resilience.

Exam Stress and Its Impact

Academic institutions, especially schools, are no longer the place for learning and enjoying your childhood. It’s no longer about learning something; it’s about getting half-baked knowledge about a million different things.

So, under these circumstances, to expect a child to take part in every activity, be a member of any sports team, and excel at academics is asking for a little too much. A kind-of modern day ‘Jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none’.

And this is the starting point of the pressure and stress. As the child goes up the grades, the expectations rise.

Imagine a situation where the parents want their child to ace the exams while also taking part in the football match and leading the school dramatics club? The child forgets to enjoy the experience of childhood as he chases the dreams of his parents and teachers.

Instead, if the child is allowed the time to focus on his studies, without the associated stress from parents and teachers, he will be able to tackle the exams a lot more confidently. The millstone of stress and anxiety will no longer weigh him down.

I do agree that for the all-round development of the child, he needs to explore different kinds of sports and cultural activities. But a balance needs to be maintained.

Just like in nature. When the balance is disturbed, it disrupts the system and creates imbalance.

Same goes with the child. Overload his shoulders with the weight of so many aspirations and he is bound to break at some point, sooner or later.

That’s why addressing exam stress is crucial for the child’s overall growth and success.

The Importance of Effective Support

How can parents and educators effectively support children facing exam stress?

Here’s a list of 6 effective ways parents and teachers can provide support to the children preparing for exams and undergoing stress.

1. Promote a Balanced Routine: Encourage a structured schedule with sufficient study time, breaks, physical activity, and ample rest to help reduce stress and improve focus.

2. Offer Emotional Support: Create an open and supportive environment listening actively, empathising, and offering reassurance to alleviate their anxiety.

3. Teach Stress-Management Techniques: Introduce practices like deep breathing exercises, mindfulness, or meditation to calm their minds and reduce anxiety during stressful periods.

4. Encourage Realistic Expectations: Discuss realistic expectations regarding exam outcomes; focus on personal improvement rather than just grades. Effort matters more than scores.

5. Provide Effective Study Techniques: Teach them how to break down the study material into manageable portions by assisting in developing effective study methods, such as creating summaries, practicing past papers, and using mind maps.

6. Celebrate Effort and Progress: Acknowledge their hard work and efforts, regardless of the result, and celebrate achievements and progress.

What the child needs now is not your “I-told-you-so” rhetoric. By providing effective support systems, you can significantly impact a child’s ability to handle exam stress and perform optimally.

Not all children are academically strong. That does not make them irrelevant or insignificant. The thought that you’re there, knowing that you understand their state, and appreciate their hard work, gives them the much-needed confidence and strength to deal with the exams. It makes the huge task ahead less daunting.

Why This Is Important?

More than the hours of preparations, what matters more is the unconditional support they receive. Effective support instils confidence, resilience, and positive coping mechanisms in children during stressful times.

1. Mental Well-being: It fosters positive mental health. It further prevents or reduces anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues associated with exam pressure.

2. Confidence and Self-esteem: It boosts children’s confidence levels and self-esteem. When they feel supported, they are more likely to approach exams with a positive attitude and self-assurance.

3. Academic Performance: Reduced stress and anxiety have a positive impact on academics. They can concentrate better, retain information better, and perform better during exams.

4. Coping Skills: Providing support equips children with essential coping mechanisms to handle stress not just during exams but also in various challenging situations throughout life.

5. Long-term Success: It lays the foundation for resilience and self-regulation. It helps them develop skills that contribute to their long-term success, both academically and personally.

Strategies for Success

The nature of exam has evolved over time, much like everything else. It no longer is a stepping stone into the next grade. But is instead seen as a barometer of the proficiency of the child.

More than the children, it’s the parents who seek validation in the form of marks and grades to assure themselves of being ‘good’ parents.

It’s time to relook at our role as parents and make the necessary changes that are needed. The children will perform a lot better and reach greater heights if allowed to work within their limitations.

Encouragement is important, but not pressure. Support is vital, not targets. Analysing is needed, not criticism.

Encouraging realistic expectations, accepting and nurturing individual potential, reducing pressure, and fostering confidence in children, can lead to a generation of mentally strong and resilient children who will have the courage to face obstacles.

The objective of these strategies is to empower children, ensuring they face exams with confidence, resilience, and a positive mindset.

Conclusion

To summarise the main points:

– Create realistic expectations and accept individual potential

– Encouraging confidence and resilience in children

– Reducing pressure and fostering a positive mindset

Through this newsletter, my aim was to provide parents and educators with actionable strategies to support children in handling exam stress effectively, fostering their mental well-being and academic success, before the exams begin.

Empowering children to conquer exam stress involves nurturing resilience and confidence. It enumerates the effective coping strategies and ensures their success both academically and mentally.

Interesting articles I read

10 Simple Ways to Change Your Life – Thought this will be a great way to begin the new year. Interesting (and a little off-beat) list of things curated by the author in the article.

There’s a better way to wake up. Here’s what experts advice – I’m sure many of you will find the article informative. It deals with a problem most of us face – getting up fresh in the morning. Try out the suggestions and do share if it works for you.

Books by my bedside

Have started reading Keeper of Enchanted Rooms (Whimbrel House #1) by Charlie N Holmberg. Just started so can’t say much but whatever I’ve read is quite interesting. Will update you the next time.