Test or exams are nerve wracking! I believe they tend to be less so with home schoolers, but they still stress the best of us, kids and parents, out!
We obviously want our kids to be well-prepared and ready for their tests and assignments. After all, it reflects on us, either positively or negatively… We need to ‘prove’ to our loved ones that we are doing the ‘right thing’, and unfortunately, a set of marks is the most socially acceptable ‘proof’. So the pressure, and stress, builds. We become snarky, bitchy and lash out at everyone. The kids feel this tension, and reflect it back at us in the form of tantrums and overall bad behaviour.
But, what if we could avoid all of this?
What if we could go into a test series actually feeling fully prepared for it? Calm, rested, nourished and ready? A dream, you say? Nay, my dear friend! A real possibility! How, you ask? Well, let me tell you:
Your first stop is nutrition.
Yep, sorry, no short-cuts here!
You need to make sure your kids eat a healthy, filling, low-GI breakfast. Preferably something containing lots of protein, and healthy fats. These are powerhouses of concentration and focus! A good example is some non-GMO ‘witpap’ (mealie meal porridge) with a bit of coconut oil/butter and an egg.
Have lots of healthy snacks on hand, like fresh fruit, nuts, raisins, whole-wheat crackers or veggie fingers with dip. Make sure your kids are eating enough, and drinking LOTS of water while studying.
Avoid caffeine, sugar and additives (so no brightly coloured sweets as bribes then 😉 ) like the plague!
Next, figure out your kid’s learning style (you could use my handy guideline for free) and find a study technique that works for them.
For a visual child, mind maps, a documentary and colour-coded sticky notes might work great. For your kinaesthetic kiddo, a physical ‘memory room’ technique could work well, maybe with a different smell linked to each subject (bubble gum or essential oils on a diffuser work well). For an auditory learner, maybe try rapping all of Washington’s famous battles and making up silly rhymes for Geography concepts. Audio books are also great for long car rides (Librivox is a lifesaver!)
Schedule the tests to help your child.
I’m not saying cheat! Don’t get me wrong. I simply mean that you shouldn’t overwhelm your child. This is what I normally do:
I normally book out 2 weeks (at least) for exams. I then try to schedule them so there is a gap between hard subjects, and I start them off easy. For example: Monday would be stuff they know, like English 1 (memory work and songs) and French. Once this is done, we will recap for the next day. Tuesday- English 2 (grammar and the ‘learning work’), Wednesday Art and Geography. See where I’m going? Every day I try and do a hard and easy subject, or day one easy, then day two hard, day three easy again. Space it out. Give them a chance to breathe. And I always go through the next day’s work the day before, so the kiddos feel confident when they sit down to write their exams.
I truly hope that helped and blessed you!
How do you prepare for exams?
Maché Myburgh 