Education in India can get really stressful for a child and the parent, I would know because I have a daughter studying in college and another preparing for her S.S.C. exams. With the need to get a good percentage, get into a good college and pave the way for a better future, our children are stressed beyond belief. Then there are those times where we as parents want our children to give more than their 100%, wanting them to achieve things we never could and be the best. What we do not realise that these months before and during the exams can take a major toll on our children and affect their health. Speaking from experience, I am listing down a few ways that we parents can help our kids de-stress before those end-of-the-year exams.

Make pointers: I realised that when it comes to preparing for an exam, the parent has to work just as hard as the child. It may be our kids writing the exam, but there are many ways we can help them prepare. For instance, if my daughter was studying geography, I would take her history textbook and make pointers for important and big answers. The idea was to help her remember the main points and then get her to elaborate on those points. This is how I helped reduce the stress for my elder daughter and I am doing the same to help my younger one.

Keep the home quiet: My elder daughter had a corner in the house where she would sit and study. But even with the slightest sound, she would get disturbed. From my own memories of studying and recent experiences of helping my daughters I can say for a fact that a silent home really does help the child study. When my younger daughter studies, the TV is off and my elder daughter listens to music with headphones. We even have a rule in place where any and every phone call is attended to outside the house. This quiet environment really helps my child study and reduces the stress considerable; it will help your child study in peace too.

Help them eat right: If there is one thing you don’t want your children to be during the exams or the days leading up to them is sick. Of course there is nothing better than eating healthy and warm home cooked meals. But that’s not all, you have to also ensure that your kids don’t eat outside. When it’s the exam months, we as a family make sure to cut down on dinner brought from outside. The food is not all, I also ensure my kids drink boiled water or have a bottle of it when they leave the house. As a parent I cannot take the chance of letting my children fall ill, specifically during the exams when they are as stressed as they can get.

Take a walk: You may have heard someone say too much of anything is bad, and they were most probably referring to studies. My elder daughter used to study to a point where I could see the stress on her face that is when I decided that enough was enough. I started taking her for walks every few hours. You will be amazed to find that taking a walk in the open really helps you refresh your mind by leaps and bounds. Now she thanks me for forcing her to go out for walks and she ensures she takes her younger sister out for walks when she is studying. These walks really help us both de-stress and take a much needed breath of fresh air. Make sure you do the same for your kids.

Make sure they get some free time: This is another way to help distract their mind from studies. In my younger days, I used to go take walks with my friends, my elder daughter’s definition of taking some time out from studies was to sing with the music blasting through the roof. My younger one loves to paint or dance, it really helps her get rid of her stress and stretch a little, something that is very important. If your children refuse to take a break, which is a little unlikely, force it on them because they need a break. If your children want to play video games, make sure they don’t overdo their break time.

Hydrate:When your children study for long hours, stress gets the better of them and their body takes a serious beating. In the bargain of studying too much, children forget they have to hydrate, and that affects their body and skin. They get weak and their skin gets dry. To mend this, I make my children drink at least 2 litres of water every day and to repair the damage caused to their skin, I make sure they apply a good moisturizing lotion like BoroPlus.

As I said before the days leading up to the exams and the days during the exams can really affect your children, make sure you follow my tips and share your own tips in the comments. My children mean the world to me and I’m sure you feel the same. So let’s help them stay stress free and peaceful during their exams.