Your child is appearing for boards, but you’re the one popping a stress vessel?
Board exams are stressful not just for students but for their parents and guardians. The stress and anxiety created at this time can be harmful to one’s health and also exam preparation if not checked. Apart from helping with the revision process, parents are often at a loss on how to help their ward before the board exams especially when it comes to managing stress before the board exams, parents are often clueless. So how can we help our children in staying stress free during Board exams? Your child needs your support during board exams, whether it’s just lending a patient ear or making sure they keep away from online distractions.

So here are some tips for parents to keep their kids stress-free during board exams and help them score well.

1. Set up an appropriate Learning Environment

Parents should ensure that their child’s study space should be properly ventilated and well-lit, apart from being equipped with essential stationery items like pencils, erasers, rulers, and books. Further, to increase your child’s level of concentration, set up the learning space for your child which is free from all distractions and is equipped with the required supplies, like pencils, erasers, rulers and books. Also, keep in mind that the height of the study table should be according to the height of your child and make sure that the chair is comfortable with a straight back.

2. Use the Right Words

You must have heard a lot of people saying that you should never compare your child with others. This statement holds a lot of merit.
There are statements that you should avoid, such as, “Your future depends on this exam”, and “If you want to do well in life, you must do well in these exams.” It is good to make them understand the importance of the exams, but it should not be done at the expense of their wellbeing. These statements could scare them and create a feeling of fear, which might hamper their performance.
You should simply use statements such as “perform your best”, “It is just an exam, your future would depend upon your hard work and not just marks”, etc.

3. Do not put too much Pressure & Set Realistic Expectations

Be supportive of your child and let them prepare for the board exams without over-burdening them with unrealistic expectations. Over-pressurizing will stress them out and adversely affect the results. All children learn at their own pace and extreme pressure can make them all the more nervous about the exams. Just believe in your child’s abilities. There can be a designer, writer or even a dancer in your child. Even if your child is not able to score high grades in a particular subject, there could be a possibility of them being brilliant in something else. Every child has his/her own strengths and allowing them to build on them can help them be successful in the long run. Marks are not the only criterion of success in life and thus you should help them in identifying their strength areas in a supportive environment with constant motivation.

4. Remove Digital Distractions

Video games, Smart phones, Music, Chit Chats with Friends, Morning Walk, Texts – Every student has a particular distraction; all you need to do is find out which one is interfering with your child’s studies and tackle it in the right manner. You can talk to them and tell them the importance of staying focused during the exam period and avoiding any such distractions. It’s difficult to stay away from digital devices completely, but it’s important to do so during board exam time. Install parental controls on electronic devices so that you can ensure they keep away from distractions and focus on doing their best during exams.

5. Stress relievers

Stress relievers can be so effective that it can increase their productivity. Exercise directly reduces stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. At the same time, exercise stimulates the production of endorphins, which elevate your mood and are natural painkillers.In addition to physical health improvement, your child will be in a better position to handle stress effectively. Listening to music, connecting with friends, eating something they really like, stretching, taking a short walk, getting sunlight everyday and getting enough sleep are some stress busters that can help your child be more focused and organized during their preparation for board exams.

6. Give Nutritious food & Ensure Proper Sleep

Last but not the least, eating healthy and sleeping for at least 7 hours aligns our body and mind, which would help your child to give stress-free exams. Make sure your child isn’t skipping meals and is eating on time. Nutrition plays an important role in keeping energy levels up. Low nutrition levels can cause sluggishness and reduced concentration. Similarly a good night’s sleep is very important. Check your child’s timetable to ensure he/she has enough time for a well-earned sleep. This will calm nerves and keep him/her alert on the big day. A good sleep will increase memory and lower the stress levels.

Conclusion

Your child is unique, and no one knows them better than you do.Helping your child prepare for their exams is great, but you should know when to draw the line.When your child feels you are interfering with their life, talk to them openly and understand their needs.