How To Prepare Your Child For Annual Exams?

It is the season of annual exams in the schools in India. Students become serious with their studies / activities in the school. And parents too get tensed and help their children in their learning process. As a parent what you need to do to keep your child free of exam fear / tension. Mothers play a key role in keeping their children in a stress-free ambiance.

Mostly it is the parents, particularly mothers, who get tensed on getting the exam time-table of their children. They then transfer their tension / exam fear to their children. Unknowingly / knowingly mothers develop a negative impression about exams in their children.

Also Read: Overcome exam fear

Remember that as a parent, first you need to stay cool and develop a positive thinking for exams. And then you will be in a position to inculcate the same in your child. Here is how you can help your children to prepare for their annual exams:

• Make an exam planner after getting the exam time table.
• In most of the schools in India, particularly the CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) schools, the entire syllabus is completed by the mid or end of Jan. The syllabus for the annual exam is given to the children mostly in the month of Feb or Jan end. Keep a copy of the exam syllabus paper and exam time table separately with you (parent) so that you can refer it as and when required. This would be helpful to you when your child misplaces / loses the syllabus paper / time table sheet. In such case you need not get panicky and keep sending WhatsApp messages to the groups but you can have one in hand. Make your child prepare for the exam according to the syllabus.


• Arrange a study room or a peaceful place in your home. There shouldn't be much much noise and disturbance in the study room / place. Keep a table and chair in a corner where there is ample of ventilation / lighting. East-facing is preferable and is considered successful. Facing any direction is fine when there is good ventilation / lighting.


• Concentrate on healthy eating habits of your ward. Provide healthy, nutritious and balanced diet with much of seasonal fruits / fruit juices to keep the body hydrated. In case your child insists on having fast foods and soft drinks, say 'no' politely instead of shouting at them. Avoid tea and coffee for your child.


• Keep the atmosphere at home as much pleasant as possible. See to it that your child is not having any mental disturbance. Generally an argument or quarrel between father and mother disturbs the child's mind. So, be patient till the completion of annual / board exams of your child.


• Keep checking the syllabus from time to time and encourage your child to finish the syllabus in time so that there would be some time for revising the subjects before the exams.


• Keep encouraging your child's good efforts. Help your child in its studies in all the possible ways.


• Do not compare your child's performance with other children. This will discourage your child and it loses self-confidence. Unfortunately most of the parents are never ever satisfied / contented with the marks of their children. If the child gets, say for e.g 85 out of 100, the parents immediately question 'Who got the highest marks?" And then the parents ask their children "When the other child could get 95 out of 100, then why can't you?" That's too much. Parents need to understand the mental ability of their child.


• Avoid shouting or blaming your child for the mistakes and help your child to correct the mistakes. Be a supportive mother / parent to your child.


• Do not give too much pressure on your child for studying and do not make it study continuously for hours together. Let your enjoy, relax in between the studies. Short intervals between reading helps in getting refreshed and recharged.


• Recognize the good work of your child and encourage your child to do more by rewarding it with small presents / gifts which would make it happy.


• Keep all the required exams materials like a set of pens, pencil, ruler, eraser, marker if required, compass box and writing pad ready a couple of days before the exam day.


• Do not keep forcing your child to keep reading till the last minute on the exam day. Avoid last minute reading as it is of no use but on the contrary makes the child panicky.


• Send your child to exams with a peaceful mind and wish your child good luck before he / she goes for exam. Good wishes / blessings from parents boost their confidence levels. This gives them great moral support.


• Do not develop a fear psychology for exams in your child.