Do you notice a sudden change in your kid’s behavior right before school tests are approaching? They may start eating less, feel nauseated, fail to get a good night’s sleep, remain irritable throughout the day, and experience several other changes that aren’t a part of their usual daily behaviors or actions. If you have noticed any of these signs, your kids are probably experiencing exam anxiety. We at Delhi Public School Sushant Lok, one of the top schools in Gurgaon, have seen that exam anxiety is becoming increasingly common, and many students face it before examinations.
Some kids may experience exam anxiety because they don’t feel confident in their preparations, while others have an innate fear that they may not score well for any reason. Regardless of the reason your child reports, you must remember that experiencing exam anxiety is normal, and it can be tackled by following the right strategies. To make examination periods less stressful for the kids, we have listed in this blog post today some timeless tips that can help your kids tackle exam anxiety effortlessly. So, let’s start exploring the tips and implement the tip that looks promising to you. Let’s read on.
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Build exam familiarity
It can be surprising, but at times, children get stressed and anxious thinking about the exam because they don’t know what to expect. The thought of experiencing something unfamiliar makes them worry a lot. It even makes them feel hopeless, hostile, and irritable about the upcoming exams. If your kids are experiencing something similar, we recommend familiarizing them with the exam format. When teachers announce exam dates, ensure you gather past test papers or sample test papers to familiarize your kids with the test format, marking structure, type of questions asked in the examination, etc.
The more your kids practice with these past test papers or sample papers, the less stressed they’ll become before the final exam. You can talk to your kid’s school teachers or ask their friend’s parents about the best places to source these papers. It can significantly help your kids beat exam anxiety.
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Help them establish effective study habits
Whether your child is in the 5th standard or 12th standard, you must teach them that cramming subjects at the last moment won’t help them score well in exams. They must follow a well-planned and organized study routine from the day their test dates are announced. You can help them create and stick to effective study habits by giving them a distraction-free study space. Encourage them to use timers to solve problems faster and take frequent breaks to free their mind.
You can also ask them to follow the Pomodoro technique, where they break study hours into manageable chunks, followed by a brief break. Here, we at Delhi Public School Sushant Lok would also like to recommend keeping their phones or other devices away while they’re studying. It can help them concentrate better on their studies. If your kids cannot revise certain subjects, we encourage parents to create subject-wise revision plans and monitor their progress regularly.
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Take help of mindfulness practices
The best way to tackle exam anxiety is to have a calm mind. This isn’t something you can practice only on the examination date and expect immediate results. Mindfulness practices are great for handling the body’s fight-or-flight response and eliminating signs of anxiety and stress. But for them to be effective, you must encourage your kids to start practicing them daily. You can ask your kids to practice simple breathing exercises, like the square box breathing technique, before their study sessions.
They can also begin journaling their feelings and practice mind-body relaxation techniques like yoga, regular exercise, meditation, etc., to strengthen their mental, physical, and emotional state. It will eventually melt away their tension, fear, stress, etc., built around upcoming exams, enabling them to perform and score better.
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Strengthen their confidence and self-belief
We at Delhi Public School Sushant Lok have noticed that even students who are good at studies and fully prepared for exams experience last-moment exam anxiety. While there can be many reasons, we believe the primary reason is constant negative self-talk.
If you notice any concerning patterns around low confidence, self-worth, or self-belief, instantly make them realize that they’re fully capable of acing any examination. Replace every doubtful feeling with a positive affirmation, and encourage them to hold positive self-talk with themselves. It will work on their subconscious minds, reigniting their belief in self, thereby easing off the exam anxiety.
Conclusion
We at Delhi Public School Sushant Lok, ranked among the best schools in Gurgaon, have seen that while exam anxiety is pretty common among children, it can be handled with certain effective tips. If exams are approaching, ensure you start monitoring your child’s habits, behaviors, actions, etc., to gauge what they’re experiencing. If you notice any unusual activity that isn’t a typical part of their normal life, intervene immediately and offer support. You can talk to your kids to find out what exactly makes them feel nervous or anxious about the exam. Their response will help you take the best next step. But if you’re overwhelmed and cannot decide what to do, implement the tips discussed in this blog post for visible improvements.