What must parents do
Parents must follow an appropriate
method to motivate and encourage their wards during the Board examination.
This is the one
BIG question that lingers in every parents’ mind when their son/daughter
prepares for an examination. In an anxiety to help their children, parents
often inadvertently add to their mental stress. The fundamental duty of parents
is to ensure that the child goes through the process of preparing for his/her
exam in a planned and relaxed manner.
It is true that
exam scores have an impact on the child’s future. But it is also true that high
scores alone do not guarantee a successful career or life. In fact, with a
myriad of new age careers that are evolving, there would be enough and more
opportunities for students to be extremely successful in life. While the child
should be made aware of the implication of low scores, parents need not be
unduly nagging the child. It is extremely critical for parents to internalise
this.
Every child is
unique and has a unique set of skills and aptitudes. Hence, they need to create
a wholesome nurturing environment at home rather than subjecting the child to
undue duress. Ensure that the study room is well-lit, silent and airy. After
all, the brain needs oxygen to be active and alert.
PREPARE A SCHEDULE
As a first
step, make a note of the exam schedule and put it up in a prominent place in
your house. Sit with your child, create a study plan based on his areas of
improvement, comfortable time zones, and school and tuition schedule. Make sure
you create a schedule with his consensus and put it up in front of the study
table with a column to note adherence or otherwise. Let there be sufficient
break time between these schedules. Use different colour stars whenever a task
is accomplished and a red cross mark whenever things are not complete. Also
prepare a revised timeline to complete tasks. Identifying difficult lessons,
critical chapters and taking out time for this is important. As you get closer
to the exam dates, get your child to relax every evening. Encourage him to go
for a walk or watch a 15-minute cartoon.
WHAT IS CRITICAL DURING THE LAST FEW
DAYS BEFORE THE EXAM ARE NOTES THAT COME IN HANDY FOR READY REFERENCE. YOU CAN
HELP YOUR CHILD BY COLLATING IMPORTANT FORMULAE AND DEFINITIONS, AND BY WRITING
AND PUTTING THEM UP NEAR THE STUDY TABLE. IT IS BEST TO TAKE PHOTOS OF
IMPORTANT POINTS OR PICTURES IN YOUR PHONE AND ALLOW THE CHILD TO USE IT AS A
SLIDE SHOW DURING LEISURE.
HEALTHY FOOD
Give your child
lots of vegetables and fresh fruits, juice and lots of water. Make them snack
on nuts and salads. Make sure your child does not skip a meal or overeat during
these days. The brain needs lots of oxygen to be able to register information.
Some kind of meditation, yoga or mental relaxation techniques will definitely
help. Taking a few deep breaths is a good and easy method of relaxing. Apart
from this, ensure that you duly encourage your child. Always use positive words
and keep telling them that you understand that he has huge potential and you
are extremely sure that he will do well.
The day before the exam is important. Give your child healthy
food, help him keep his hall ticket, pens, pencils and other things at one
place. Keep the unifrom ready. Ensure a good night's sleep. Ensure you avoid
last minute panicking on the day of the exam. On the D-Day, give your children
healthy breakfast; get them to stay away from books at least an hour before the
exam. A good shower will help them feel fresh. Ensure that they reach the venue
on time.
Encourage your
child to take time to read the question paper thoroughly, plan the order in
which to answer the questions, select numerical versus theory questions, and
time the questions. It's always good for the children to start with the
question they are most familiar with. Encourage them to write legibly and
revise before handing over the answer sheets.
February 18, 2013
The author
is CEO of MPower learning.
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