For students and parents, final exams cause anxiety and apprehension. Many schools imply final exams on elementary students. Preparing our kids to final exams create a situation of stress that affects the performance of our child during the exam. Some schools take into consideration this problem and prepare the kids at school for the final exams which makes it less stressful on parents and kids. Others, for some reason, continue with the educational program till the last day of school and include these last lessons in the final tests which create in the child a feeling of fear and lack of confidence about his knowledge.
Usually final exams at elementary stage are done to assess the student’s knowledge and determine if any intervention is needed during the summer to help him acquire the information required at this level. Final exams should be graded as 20% of the student’s grade.
Whether the schools prepare our kids for exams or not, I believe as a parent, that we need to prepare our kids and improve their self-confidence and attitude towards the exam’s environment. We should discuss and engage our kids to tell us if they are nervous or fear the exams. By doing so, most of the problem would be settled. In order to provide calm and relaxing environment, here are some steps that we can follow to make this period less stressful on our kids:
Establish a quiet place to study. No TV, radio or electronics should be around.
Make a plan for studying. Discuss with your child’s teacher the exams’ schedule and content.
Review old exams, notes and quizzes done during the year with your child.
Review with your child’s teacher the points that need to be stressed on to improve your child’s performance.
Take a time from your work to stay next to your kid. This would help him to feel at ease and confident.
Make a program for the day that contains breaks, snacks and study time.
Encourage your child and never shout at him. You must have patience.
Give your child some space when you feel he is overloaded.
Your child needs your support and not your critics! Try to establish a positive environment which helps your child’s confidence and improves his feelings.