Exams – who doesn’t remember the nervous wait outside the gym hall, queuing up recounting a the last minute revision session on the bus that morning, clutching your pens and pencils ready sharpened and trying to ignore the nervous feeling in your stomach?
Exams are a pressured and anxious time for most of us, so Ascent is asking how we can best support our young people through one of the most pressured times of their academic lives? Here are some tips for our foster carer family.
Tips for Carers: Don’t sweat the small stuff!
Consider the period before and during exams as an amnesty on issues that would typically cause some friction. Bedrooms may be slightly messier and chores may slack slightly. But this is okay.
By easing off some of the household duties during exam time, you’ll be giving your child more time and space to focus on exam revision. Once exams are out of the way, the temporary suspension can be lifted and things can go straight back to normal. After all, they will have all the summer holidays to make up for it!
Get involved
Let’s be honest, revision is not the most exciting activity and can actually be quite isolating. So why not help make it more interactive and fun. Test your child on their exam content by doing quiz games. You can be the quizmaster and they can be the contestant and you can follow the format of some popular quiz games on TV.
Why not switch roles too and you take the role as contestant, this can also help your child learn as they prompt you on the answers you may not know or by hearing the answers repeated again.
Know your child’s entire exam schedule
Pin a copy of the examination timetable on the kitchen notice board. You should also note the date and time of each paper. Make sure you are at all times aware when your child has to be in the examination centre.
Diet
Diet is extremely important during the exam season. The right food and drink can energise your system, improve your alertness and sustain you through long exam hours. On the other hand, the wrong dietary choices can make you feel sluggish and jittery. So making sure your child is eating regularly, healthily and drinking lots of water is very important.
Take a break
We’ve all heard the saying ‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’. It’s important that your child or young person is taking breaks throughout studying. Not only does it allow them to refresh and charge up, but it helps them to feel relaxed through studying and gives them something to look forward to, to motivate them through studying.
Don’t overhype the importance of any examination
Make it clear to the children in your care that your love and regard for them is in no way dependent on how they perform in exams. This affirmation is the best gift you can give them.
For more information about becoming a foster carer with Ascent contact us today.