Tests Can Be Challenging, here is how
to help your child to prepare for their tests

Even though it is essential for kids to study on their own so that they can excel at academic performance later in education, there is no harm in parents helping them cope with anxiety while studying or learn more efficient ways to master school material. That way, you can help your children acquire healthy study habits at a young age and be more independent later.

So, if your child is soon to have a bunch of exams, and you want to support them, here are a few ways you can do that.

Organize a productive study environment

Is your child used to doing their homework in the living room while the TV is on and other family members are chatting in the background? That’s not the best idea since it negatively affects productivity and focus. However, the living room is not the only room full of distractions. Your child’s bedroom might also not be the perfect environment for studying – the background noise, the siblings running in and out of the room… all of these can seriously hinder your child from reaching their full academic potential. Here is everything your child needs for a study-friendly environment:

If you can’t silence the noise, replace it with soothing noise (e.g. classical music in the background).
Remove distracting gadgets from the study area, except if the child needs the computer for research or homework.
Get a comfortable ergonomic chair, but avoid an overly cozy seating that could easily lull them into an unplanned nap.
Let in enough natural light in the study area or install full-spectrum light bulbs.
Provide them with flash cards or display motivational quotes around the room in order to facilitate their learning process and encourage them.

Establish healthy study habits

A productive study environment is a great foundation for future success, but what your child needs even more are healthy study habits. Work with your child to create a study schedule that suits them best. You should revisit that schedule periodically to make sure it fits your kid’s needs and abilities. If you make study time a regular part of the day, studying for tests shouldn’t be that difficult.

Make homework and studying a priority, but also allow them to have some free time. You don’t want your kid to be overwhelmed and stressed out at a young age. Good study habits are also go hand in hand with other healthy habits, such as a balanced diet and a right bedtime schedule, and that’s where you come in.

Help with materials

Depending on your kid’s age, you can be very helpful when it comes to gathering new information and materials. This can be something as simple as recommending a book about Greek mythology you’ve read as a kid or if you want to be really invested, try finding books and notes for high school or college students. Online resources like Think Swap could help immensely because they are the place where students exchange notes, problem sets and even past exams.

Find the appropriate study method

Sure, there are basic study strategies that work for the majority of students, but have in mind that each child has a unique approach to studying. Don’t let your kid become discouraged by the fact that they can’t focus in a quiet and encouraging room. Instead, see if there’s anything you can do or change to make them more motivated to study. Some kids will study better through play, some with background music, some will memorize information more efficiently when spoken out loud, and some are more of quiet learners. Encourage your child to try out various study methods until they find the one that suits them best.

Work on confidence

Imagine your child doing a test where it is required to mark the correct answer (a, b or c). Your kid has studied so hard for this exam, and thinks the answer should be ‘b’, but aren’t completely sure because there is a possibility of error. The lack of confidence can often be the culprit for bad test results. A parent can play a vital role here, by offering their encouragement and support. It is ok if the child fails or gets bad test results from time to time. We all learn from our failures and become better and more successful thanks to them.

Be the coach

How your kid studies is one thing, but how they will perform on the test is a completely different thing, as you may have noticed in the example above. Try to minimize the exam anxiety by coaching your kid to go over the entire test, analyze the questions, think them through, and only then begin with the answers. Manage the challenge of multiple-choice answers by eliminating two options, and establish the custom of reviewing all the answers before turning the paper in.

Finally, do what a parent does – support your child no matter what, and make sure your kid knows you are always there for them.

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A Few Positive Discipline Techniques Every Parent Should Know

Parents With Child — Image Source: Pixabay

Today’s parents looking for tips on how to effectively discipline their children need to learn more about positive discipline. Positive discipline involves encouraging your child rather than punishing them and instilling a mutual respect between parent and child that will last a lifetime. Check out some popular techniques below and start building a better relationship with your child today.

Positive Discipline Techniques

Look for a meaning behind the bad behavior.

Most children want to behave well for their parents and when they act out there is often more going on than just the temper tantrum at hand. You want to give your child the benefit of the doubt when they misbehave and figure out the root cause of the problem. Sometimes it is simply their age and sometimes it has to do with you.

Were they behaving fine until you ignored them and began speaking on the phone instead of looking at animals at the zoo? Could certain foods be affecting their mood negatively? Too often parents want their children to understand adult behaviors before they had time to learn them.

Control yourself.

Learning to control yourself and keep a cool head in the heat of the moment is probably the most important technique to remember for positively disciplining your child successfully. As the parent, you must model the behavior you wish to instill in your children. Yelling only leads to more yelling, hitting only leads to more violence.

If you feel yourself getting past the point of control, try to count silently to ten in your head, take a few deep breaths, or walk away until you can speak calmly and rationally. Showing your frustration and anger can reinforce the misbehavior rather than stop it and keeping your tone in check is key. Try singing instead of yelling at your child if you find it difficult to keep a calm tone.

Baby boy on the grass crying and having a temper tantrum — Source: Pixabay

Set clear expectations and be consistent.

Too often parents will ignore a bad behavior in the hopes that it is just a stage and the troubles will pass soon. Usually, that is not the case and the behavior becomes an established part of the child’s personality. Setting clear expectations for your child makes it easier for them to understand what is good versus bad behavior.

Once you set these expectations, you must reinforce them at every given opportunity. If your child is playing with other kids in the park and bites one of them, you must shut it down immediately by telling them the behavior is not acceptable. If they continue to bite other children, you must remove them from the situation entirely and get them to recognize that when they do not listen, they lose their privileges.

Acknowledge good behavior, not bad behavior.

The most common reason children act up is to get their parents’ attention. If they act up in a manner that poses no threat to themselves or anyone else, it works better in the long-run to ignore the behaviors that you do not appreciate and only respond when they change their tactics. So if your child begins to cry because they cannot have the juice they want this instant, go ahead and let them cry until they realize it will not get them what they want.

Redirect, do not just discipline.

Once a kid hears “No!” or “Don’t do that!” enough times, they often begin to ignore them. Obviously, continuing to use these phrases does you no good and only devalues their conversational worth. Rather than repeating “No” over and over again, it may be time to start redirecting your child to replace their bad behavior.

Rather than telling them not to yell or scream while in the grocery store, have them help you pick out some cereal or fruit, or help to rearrange the items in the grocery cart. Getting their attention focused on something else can help stop the misbehavior without needing to discipline at all.

Little girl covering her ears and screaming so she does not listen to her parents — Source: Pixabay

Exploit your lack of energy.

Raising children is exhausting, especially when they do not behave as they should. You can use this lack of energy to your advantage, however, by bringing it up when trying to stop the misbehavior. You can tell them that if they keep it up, you will not have enough energy to take them out to play later, etc. See how quickly things start to calm down.

Do NOT bribe!

No matter what, no matter how frustrated or tired you get when trying to correct bad behavior, it never pays to bribe your child into being good. They learn that they can manipulate you into giving them things by acting up. If you want to reward your child for good behavior, do it by spending more quality time with them doing things that they want to do, rather than buying them toys to keep them happy.