As soon as you get the exam schedule from school, check the dates. Ensure you have no other commitments 1 month prior and during the exam days. Make a schedule to be followed that includes the bedtime and wake-up time, time to do daily activities, time to eat, time to relax, time to meet family and friends, and also time to play. Ensure your children are following the schedule. A tight schedule will not work, keep a mix of everything.

Divide the days for each subject by deploying more days to tough subjects. Now sub-divide the days according to units/chapters to revise, keep a day extra in case the child is unable to complete it in allotted time. This timetable would also help you in keeping a track of what is done and what is yet to be studied. Without having a well-drafted timetable you cannot plan the studies. It is just like groping in the dark without any aim. Unless you have the plan how to achieve it and by what time, how can you help complete the studies of your children.

करत–करत अभ्यास के जड़मति होत सुजान – As the old saying goes – keep practicing until you succeed. Some children find Mathematics as a difficult subject, or some may find it tough to get by heat the spellings, there may be some who find it hard to write Hindi/Sanskrit. Don’t panic, they are just kids and are learning. Use creative ways to teach them. You can break the big spellings (Wednesday into Wed-Nes-Day) into parts just to make them learn or explaining the badi and chhoti e ki matra by denoting their siblings in age or friends in height. Similarly, Mathematics can be taught through dice, playing cards, abacus and much more.

Consult the teachers or school library to get last years’ question papers. You‘ll get an idea about the questions being asked and the pattern of the examination paper. Hence you can, give emphasis on those topics. There must be some questions/topics of utmost importance, hence give them special attention while helping your child in studying.

Our grandparents often used to say, “A Healthy Mind Resides in a Healthy Body” so allow your child to play indoor and outdoor games while he/she is preparing for exams. Continuous study blocks the creative juices and tires the mind. Make sure, either evening hours or noon hours give the children leisure time when they can practice the fun activities to refresh the mind. No problem, if your child wants to watch a cartoon movie or something of his choice. Trust me, it’s not waste of time but you’re offering refreshment to the tired mind required for best results. Why can’t you work relentlessly for the whole day? Can you? You need rest! Same way, the brain too needs rest.  Just ensure, the break must not exceed the given time slot.

When your child is confident about the studies and has revised all the subjects, it’s time for the mock test. You can plan a demo exam. Make a question paper based on the last year’s asked question or take the last year question paper and ask your kid to appear for a demo exam which would last for the same time as is expected. This would give them an idea regarding how to write in the exam.

So, when your kid is all set for the exam, take some time to prepare the pencil box with all the pencils neatly sharpened, an eraser, a sharpener, a scale, few extra pencils, pens (if required). Keep the admit card for exam hall in a transparent bag so that it must not tear. Don’t forget to keep Identity card. Make this a ritual before every exam. It will ward off all the anxiety and nervousness of your children and help them take the exam with a light mood and best preparation.

A sound sleep would allow your child feel energetic, attentive, and active all day long. A fresh mind would take up all lessons quickly. A healthy mind requires around 8 hours of sleep at night. Hence fix a timetable, which has ample hours to sleep. A good sleep can help your kid avoid commmiting silly mistakes. Take a night walk with them or plan a little exercise session so that it can help them sleep well.

According to an old saying,” जैसा खाए अन्न, वैसा बनता मन, which means the meal, impacts your kids’ daily routine and sleeping schedule. Avoid giving them junk, spicy and packaged food. This would disturb their digestion and also would affect their sleeping schedule. Light and easily digestible food would be a great idea. Fresh, leafy and light food is the best at least prior to the examinations.

This is the most important aspect I want to emphasize on today! I know, in this competitive world every parent wants their children to score high for a better career. Can every kid score top rank? Of course not! Why not encourage them to learn and understand? Not to memorize and score high! Your kid might score high this way but what about when they will face the real competition where their knowledge will come to play! Would they be able to sustain?