Nearly a quarter (24%) of British parents polled for 5 live said they were stressed about their children’s exams.
Sadly, we’re not at all surprised to learn that so many British parents often lose sleep worrying about their children’s exams. We are contacted by stressed parents every day, and fortunately we’ve learnt how to help these parents and their children to handle stress better. Here are our 3 top tips for managing exam stress:
1. Get organised.
Being disorganised can make revision so much more stressful than it needs to be. With a plan, you can make sure your children are on track to get through their revision in good time, without over-working. Make sure to include breaks in your plan – no teenager can revise all day every day, and having something to look forward to at the end of the day or at the weekend will motivate your teenager to work harder.
2. Don’t share your stress with your children.
Your children’s confidence is important for exam success. A stressed teenager is less – not more! – likely to work hard, and retain information. So try to control your own apprehensions and focus on putting your teenager at ease.
3. Don’t try to teach your children yourself.
The BBC report that two in five parents (42%) said that not knowing how to help their children made them feel as if they were “not good enough as parents”. Why, when the system has changed so much over time, would you know how to help your children with their revision? Don’t beat yourself up, and instead find a tutor with a strong understanding of exam technique who can help your children to perform as well as they can. With MyTutor, your children can enjoy affordable one-to-one online tuition in almost any subject, no matter where you live.
For more expert advice on how to help your children through their exams, download our useful guide for parents:
Anna Tankel