Introduction
Time management is a task easier said than done. Previously, kids studied according to a rigorous, daily routine at home, with masters coming to train them, weak subjects. Exam time meant zero play and all hard work only. But doctors and research have proven that those are not the best ways of inspiring your kid’s academic qualities, especially in modern times. In the 21st century, with multiple academic and extracurricular demands, kids already have a tough time balancing rest and leisure. The little leisure they have is mostly spent with devices, resulting in increased procrastination, lethargy, and little creative or intellectual output.
And by the time exam season arrives, little has been covered and a mountain of chapters is left to be climbed. Kids start panicking and stressing, mistreating their health, and end up falling sick when they need to be the healthiest and sharpest. Therefore, parents need to guide their kids on proper time management skills to handle exam pressure and do well. But how to balance exam stress and develop proper time management skills to deal with it? The following tips will do the trick.
Tips To Develop Time Management Skills In Children In Exam Season
Prioritize And Attain
It is important to prioritize and attain during exams to handle the stress and score well. If their exams are 2 days away and there are 18 chapters to complete, then prioritize the important chapters and make them finish them first. It is ideal and correct to target completion of the syllabus but make it a long-term plan. In terms of short-term attainment, start completing the crucial chapters, keeping scoldings on hold. In this organized way, your kids might even finish the syllabus, or at least study enough to gain maximum knowledge and do well.
Make Personal Study Schedules
There is no one fixed study schedule for all. Your kid may be an early bird who studies well in the morning, or a night owl, who races through chapters. Encourage them to make attainable daily study schedules and tick them off after completion. This will also imbue them with confidence to handle exam stress.
Keep A Watch Handy
A watch or stopwatch is essential for making time management fruitful. Teach your kids to begin their study session by turning on the stopwatch and pausing it every time they take a break, be it to eat, talk, or go to the bathroom. This will help them keep an accurate track of their focused study sessions and how much they slouched off, if at all.
Limit Unwarranted Distractions
It is ideal to limit unwanted distractions during study time. It can be from messages on the phone to the noise of people chattering in the living room. Proper, focused studying requires a comfortable, quiet environment. This also helps in time management and reduces distracted studying, which is futile.
Set Attainable Goals
It is ideal to set attainable goals. If your kid has just woken from a nap and is not yet in top gear, ask them to prepare easier or shorter chapters first, before focusing on the tougher or lengthy ones. This will increase their confidence and reduce exam stress as they will feel ready to face their difficult academic goals.
Study Smart And Hard
It is ideal to study both smart and hard. It is ideal for your kids to maintain a balance between being a study-holic and a procrastinator. Prioritize and complete important or easier chapters first, before getting to the rest, but do not let your kids skimp on them unnecessarily. It is important to maintain both smartness and dedication, as the ideal combo of both is what makes a healthy kid, who both enjoys leisure and tops the class.
Be Flexible With Timing
Do not let your kids be finicky if their schedule gets messed up. Your kid is human and not robot and a chapter may end up taking more time. For example, if they had allotted an hour for the last chapter and only 30 minutes are left, do not let that time go to waste. Either make them complete a portion of that chapter or assign them something else that can be done in that time.
Maintain Short, Running Self Notes
Teach your kids the art of maintaining self-notes while studying from an early age. While studying any chapter, ask them to note down any point or definition that they think they may not remember after one reading. Those are their self-notes, from which they can revise and remember the important bits right before exams without going through the entire chapter again. This habit of writing down pointers also helps kids memorize better and handle exam stress far more smoothly.
Conclusion
Time management is a vital skill for children that must be taught from an early age to avoid the development of exam stress. Follow this handy guide on inculcating time management skills in children to handle exam stress and watch them be the best version of themselves.
The views expressed are that of the expert alone.
