Top tips for helping your child prepare for their exams

Important exams can be nerve wrecking for children and parents alike and if your family is gearing up for a GCSE year, you’ll no doubt want to do your bit to help your youngster achieve success. Here are some top tips to bear in mind.

Create the perfect study area

Perhaps the most important thing you can do to help youngsters prepare for exams is to provide them with an effective area in which to study. It’s virtually impossible for teenagers to concentrate on their work and to absorb information if they try to do this in noisy or uncomfortable environments.

If possible, you should create a workspace away from the hubbub of your main living area where your child will be to get on with their studies in peace. You’ll also need to make sure that the area is filled with suitable furniture. For example, a comfy seat is a must and a good sized desk or table is crucial too.

Storage is another issue to consider. It’s amazing how much paperwork students can bring home within the run-up to exams and they’ll need somewhere to keep it all, along with any extra notes they make and books they use. If they don’t have access to drawers or shelves, they can quickly find that important documents and other items get lost, putting them at a real disadvantage.

Luckily, it’s now easier than ever to buy desks, tables, drawers, shelving and other products from firms such as Calibre. When you purchase these items, bear in mind that they will come in handy for any future study too, so they can represent a great investment.

Establish a timetable

Teenagers generally like to feel in control of their own study schedules, but given the number of subjects they are taking, it’s easy for them to feel overwhelmed. You may want to offer your services to help them create a study timetable. This can help to keep youngsters on track throughout the year.

Meanwhile, when the tests are looming large on the horizon, you can draw up a list of the exam dates for each subject and help your child work out exactly what needs to be completed and when it needs to be done by.

Don’t be tempted to distract

As a parent, the chances are you’ll want to go on plenty of trips and spend lots of quality time with your child, but during GCSE years, it’s important to resist the temptation to distract them from their work. Of course, they’ll need breaks from time to time, but you should leave your youngster plenty of time to get on with work. This is especially crucial in the immediate lead up to tests. You might also benefit from limiting the amount of time that the TV’s on in your household.

Provide reassurance

One of your most significant jobs as a parent is to provide reassurance if your child gets anxious about upcoming exams. Some level of worry is fine. In fact, it helps teenagers to focus and channel their efforts. However, too much stress is bad, both in terms of concentration and for youngsters’ general health and well-being.

Try to make sure your child doesn’t lose perspective when preparing for tests and, if he or she isn’t sleeping, you may need to seek medical advice.

Buy in some brain food

To help boost your child’s brainpower, it’s a good idea to buy in plenty of healthy foods. Products that are high in omega-3 fatty acids, such as oily fish, wheat germ and flax seeds, are known to enhance memory and focus.

Also, try to make sure your youngster is eating a balanced diet containing enough carbohydrates, protein, vitamins and minerals. This can help them to concentrate throughout the day.

What are your tips for exam preparation? Do your kids have a learning routine when revising for exams?

This is a promotional post with images by PB Teen as well Reach Out via Pinterest and Katy Hogben via Pinterest.