It’s that time of year… your school-aged child is facing year-end examinations and progress reports. Being crucial to one’s education, regardless of grade, exams can be a stressful time for students. Turning exams and progress reports into positives for all children is something both educators and parents desire. The Calgary Catholic School District’s academic goal this year is “Success for all Students,” with a concentration on student wellness, specific to mental health and resiliency. A factor of resiliency for a student’s personal outcome is embedded in their ability to feel prepared for an exam. There are a number of ways you can take an active role in your child’s education, including promoting healthy study habits during this time.
Here are some study tips to help your child manage their exam anxiety:
Encourage proper note-taking in class - Prior to exams, teachers review essential subject knowledge, commonly linked to exam questions and content. Encourage your child to make the most thoughtful and easy-to-understand summaries of the information covered. Reviewing your child’s notes with them may help determine areas they need a little more time with.
Start early - It’s easy for children to receive an exam schedule and assume they have ample time to study closer to the exam date. This mentality isn’t necessarily conducive to a healthy studying mindset, as it can lead to cramming.
Time management - Hand in hand with starting early, time management is truly an art to be mastered - perhaps more so for young people who are learning how much they can handle, spread between school and home life, extracurricular activities and social expectations. Create a study schedule with your child so that appropriate time is committed to all subject areas.
Appoint a study space - Study areas should be likened to the areas where students learn. Modeling these spaces after the classroom helps children concentrate. Light and sound pollution are also factors to be considered so that your child can actively read and monitor their attention to the task.
Remove devices, games and other distractions - Perhaps the most important advice (and possibly the least popular with your child), is to reduce device use and gaming during exam preparation, and consider removing these distractions entirely from their study spaces.
Set goals -Help your child set goals prior to each study session (maybe to review two text chapters or concentrate on fractions).
Relate what your child is studying to their life - Get creative and use their interests. Turn Canadian history into hockey plays or liken the characters of a novel to a Disney movie scenario. Using life-like examples can aid retention.
Healthy sleep - Not getting enough sleep can contribute to fatigue, stress and anxiety. Sticking to a routine is ideal to keep up with sleep patterns come exam time. Nightly rituals can help.
Breakfast! It is not only important to eat healthy and balanced meals in general, but it is essential for your child to eat a nutritious breakfast on exam day. This includes proper hydration (sending a refillable water bottle with your child during exams is ideal).
It is important to remember that for children, feeling prepared is one of the most important factors in relieving exam anxiety. In addition to your support, school supports are always available.
To learn more about the Calgary Catholic School District, visit cssd.ab.ca.
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