Now that the exams have started, it is important that you help your child keep their motivation up until they are finished.
While you can’t help them with their actual revision you can keep them focused on the end goal:
Organised
Make sure your child remains organised. Before exams start, most youngsters try to remain as organised as possible, colour coding everything and rigidly sticking to timetables. However, as one exam finishes, your child can start to let things slide. To keep them organised, help them to remake a new timetable as soon as one exam finishes.
Help them stay focused
As they go through more and more exams their focus can start to slip as they get nearer and nearer to freedom. Remind them that the last exam is just as important as the first exam and that they need to stay on top of study and keep their eye on the end prize.
Encourage perspective
One bad exam can lead to your son or daughter feeling like there is no point in studying anymore. When your tween or teen comes home dismayed after an exam, make them understand that realistically they don’t now how they did and even if they did fall down in one subject, they can bring their grade up with a good mark in another exam.
Don’t be on their back
Exams are both physically and mentally draining so don’t be on their back if you catch them watching telly or doing something other than studying. However, do keep an eye on them so they don’t get too comfy. A gentle “don’t you have an exam tomorrow” can get them up off the couch and back to the books. Constantly telling them to study will only make them feel frustrated and less motivated.
Make it easier on them
Try to make things easier on them by having everything organised for them. Before your child comes home from their exam, have their desk clean and ready for another evening of studying. Have pens, paper and anything else they need all neatly lined up. This way they can start another study session without having to clear their desk and look for pens. While they are studying prepare uniforms, lunches and anything else they might need for the next day. Making life easier for them will help them keep their focus and motivation.
