How to Help Your Kids Prepare for School Exams

 Guest Blogger #797, Entry #1886, November 30, 2012

Ensurin your child is well prepared for school is essential. You remember those days, right? Those moments in school when you knew that you had an exam coming up that you needed to prepare for. Based on the particular subject matter and how you felt about it, sometimes the “You have a test next week” announcement brought forth feelings of anticipation, while other times it caused us to be downright fear. After all, it can be a bit unsettling to be expected to recall all that you’ve learned in a class in a few minutes of time.

This is what you have to remember when your child comes to you for help on how to prepare for the exams in school that they have coming up; that you were once in their very shoes.

Ensure your child is studying with these helpful tips

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Do you want some tips on how to support them in a way that will bring forth great results? We have a few for you below (no test at the end, though):

Plan ahead.

There’s a pretty big chance that your child is not going to tell you about the test right when they found out that they were going to have one. For this reason, it’s a good idea to speak with their teachers so that you can get a copy of their syllabus. That way, rather than only having two days to help them prepare, you can prepare during the week (or even couple of weeks) of time that they were initially given to study.

Set up a schedule.

One of the best ways to learn is through repetition. It’s a lot easier for your child to retain information by spending 15 minutes a day on the required material rather than five hours the night before while trying to cram it all in. So, whether it’s before their homework or after dinner, definitely make sure to devote some time to going over their study lessons with them.

Make it fun.

The test is already going to be pretty “ho hum”, so why not make the study sessions a bit more entertaining? You can create flashcards, you can turn it into a game, you can write a song out of the answers…the possibilities are endless. Just make sure that “fun” is a part of the theme as you come up with ways to hold their attention.

Create a study environment that helps your child study

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Consider a tutor.

Some children simply have a hard time taking tests. There’s nothing “right” or “wrong” about that fact; they simply learn and retain differently. However, if your child is consistently doing poorly during their exams, you might want to consider looking for one of the best home tutors in your area; someone who is an expert at preparing students for tests. For more information on how to locate a tutor, visit Tutor.com, Tutors.com or the Khan Academy.

Keep them calm. When a child is preparing for a test or is about the take one, it almost doesn’t matter how much knowledge they have stored away if they are stressed out. For this reason, it’s imperative that as you are going various lesson studies with your child that you also incorporate mind exercises that they can do to calm down such as inhaling and exhaling, counting quietly from 1-10 and thinking about things that make them happy. When their mind is peaceful, they are sure to get better academic results; especially during their exams.

For more examination guidance for kids on Stagetecture, click here.