As the end of the year draws closer so does the end of the term’s dreaded exams. As a parent with young children I find getting through their weekly homework and projects’ a chore unto itself and the prospect of getting them to revise for tests makes me want to hide under a rock.

Don’t get me wrong, my children are interested in learning, science and topic enthrall them but mention to them that you have tests at the end of the month and the moans and groans are deafening. Last weekend, thinking I would be the responsible one I ordered my children to crack open a revision book, after a couple of hours of encouraging and cajoling the reluctant students I was more than willing to throw the books away and enjoy the tropical day

It’s tedious but children need to go to school and inturn they need to do exams. As Parents we have to facilitate this process so the enjoyment of learning is still maintained in the dedicated students all the while not acquiring a few grey hairs in the process. Here are some ways to beat the exam blues:

Children as you know are learning all the time. Inorder to facilitate maths or science lessons incorporate a few activities into everyday life. For example when grocery shopping ask the kids to weigh the produce to get familiar with weights and measures. Walk around the shop asking them what certain items are in French. In this way it takes the monotony out of sitting under a whirring fan, book open, memorizing what is infront of them, mindlessly.

Another interesting way of revising is to take the children totally out of the study environment. In the garden throwing a ball back and forth, rules are whoever has the ball has to spell a word, say a capital, recite a fact. In this way children are explosed to fun learning and is a more sure fire way of getting them to remember facts rather than merely looking through books.

As your children get older you need to talk them through taking a test, don’t assume that they know how. My son has started his first year of junior school and will be taking some official tests next month. He is clueless on how soon he has to do a test, what should he do first etc. We will have to sit him down and walk him through the art of test taking.

Since the older two are sitting for tests this term I have got them to revise with each other. One quizzes the other and this way they learn from each other and also they do not want to loose face infront of each other so they try harder to get their questions right.

Children should always get a good night sleep and an adequate breakfast the next morning. It has been proven that children make fewer mistakes after a good night sleep and a balanced breakfast.  It has been proven that 6 to 8 year olds need 11 hours of sleep whilst 9 years olds need closer to 10.

Exam period is a tumultuous time in any household, the lead up to be can be worse than actually sitting for the exam itself. Cajoling , encouraging, bribing or threatening are some of the tactics we have to resort to help our children. Hopefully the above gentle suggestions will help to ease some of the unnecessary pain. There’s no escaping exams are a necessary evil just like taxes, its another survivual situation for us Parents, GOOD LUCK!

By Mayuri Jayasinghe