Helping children with exam stress

TurnaroundSue

My friend's daughter was really bad and was being sick all the time, wasn't able to sleep, constantly studied (and that was just the lead up to her mocks!!!). So she took her for hynotherpy and cannot believe she is the same girl. Is presently sitting her GCSE'S and is soooo relaxed and chilled (even though still studying hard), so is not the wreck she was last year in her mocks.

Not sure if it would work for everyone, but I know my friend swears by this method and the difference it has made to her daughter's life whilst going through exams.

Good luck to your children in their exams.

Savvy_Sue

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

I do hope that this is 20 mins per subject, not 20 mins in total!

:rotfl: don't know about however posted the original comment, but I had DS3 telling me he'd 'done' his revision timetable for that day between me booting him off the TV at 10 pm and me booting him smart-ish into bed at midnight when he finished watching a film upstairs!

Before I'm howled at for not sending him to bed sooner, this WAS during the school holidays and his father WAS sitting outside the room where he was allegedly revising but actually watching TV!

So with MY DS3, you have to be grateful for 20 minutes a day ...

bestpud wrote: »

And, as another poster has said, it is good to remember examiners are looking for what they know rather than trying to catch them out. Essentially, try and get them to think of the examiner as someone wanting to give them credit wherever possible. It always seems less daunting to look at it that way when I am doing exams.

With DS1, DH said to him "Never underestimate the stupidity of the examiner." I know this wouldn't work with all students, but I think all of mine sometimes think "This question is stupid, the answer is SO obvious, I can't believe they're asking that." Plus DS1 definitely thinks that the examiner already knows the answers, so why does he have to tell him?

misty wrote: »

One of the things that stresses students out is not knowing how to revise - they're told to revise but just stare at their notes not quite sure what to do with them.

I have a handout - I've used with my students that gives revision tips - some are general and some are linked to their learning styles -pm me if you want a copy.

DS3 has been given LOADS of revision tips: we're practically drowned in advice on learning styles, coloured cards, websites he might find useful, CDs etc etc etc. But getting him to do anything more than read through notes is the sticking point - he wants all the work done for him, including the things which really only work if he does them for himself!

The Peppermint and Nutmeg thing I mentioned earlier is in the Boots Essential Aromatherapy range, btw, but still can't find it on the website.

loopylass

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

I do hope that this is 20 mins per subject, not 20 mins in total!

Hi
In reply to your question this is total and if i pushed him to do more he wouldnt do any
In an ideal world i would love him to study hard and get good grades but not all children like revision my son struggle with his lessons and he hates revision
I Know they are doing revision every day at school and he does it every night here
He knows that we paid his brother a certain amount of money for each subject he passed and he knows we will do the same to him
Because he struggles in lessons he thinks his thick and i want him to build on his confidence and to know im there for him and not nagging him to do more
when i know he will just have a kevin the teenager moment and refuse

serena

Dear loopylass,

would your son feel happier with online revision? I found that my DS was a lot keener on revising with sites like BBC bitesize, and s-cool.

loopylass

Hi thanks for your suggestion
He does go on that site and sam learning his also got all revision books and workbooks to go with them because he has to read through the revision book to do the workbook so i know his not just sitting there staring at the book

I am trying to stay positive but inside im worried for him he has got a conditional place at college but it all depends if he gets the grades

ryandj

A little bit of nerves and stress does help to get you motivated and prepared, but obviously too much is detrimental to performance. I always like to be really well prepared for exams, and then find I am quite confident in my ability, and so not so nervous.

The main thing to help is probably building up confidence, maybe with compliments, or asking practice questions. And also giving plenty of peace and quiet!

Savvy_Sue

loopy, I am so glad it is not just me!

DS3 doesn't like the revision websites, because they are stupid, and sometimes wrong, and the English one doesn't even know what a Communist thinks, and either thinks GK Chesterton was one when he wasn't, or wasn't one when he was.

I had a go at one the school recommends: when you've read a section, you're supposed to do a 'jigsaw' to reinforce what you've learned - they give you a few bullet points all jumbled up, a bit like those puzzles where you can only move one piece at a time. You have to 'move' the pieces to the right place.

I found it was easier to see where to 'move' the pieces without reading them - "oh that's the top half of a line in a big font, there's the bottom half of a line in big font, they must go one on top of the other" - so I wasn't terribly convinced.

but maybe that's just not my learning style ...

ryandj wrote: »

And also giving plenty of peace and quiet!

:rotfl: that's the other ongoing argument. If you're doing a practice exam question, you should surely be doing it WITHOUT a CD blaring at full volume, no? Is an electric guitar a necessary revision tool? Shouldn't relaxation periods be shorter than revision periods?

Doesn't help that DS2 DOES like peace and quiet - we're not usually a doors shut family, but there's a lot of firm door shutting going on now!

Off to suggest that the guitar player should be going to bed now ... it will only take him an hour to get ready!