With fewer exams in primary school now, you may worry that your kid won’t have enough practice for these big tests. Sasha Gonzales asks the experts for their top tips for dealing with exam anxiety and other common issues.
How can you motivate your child to revise for exams without dangling a reward? What if he has trouble focusing, or tends to leave revision to the last minute?
These concerns are even more pressing now that there are fewer exams for primary school kids – in fact, children in Primary 1 and 2 now have no exams or graded assessments.
Here, education experts help you navigate through the most common exam issues Singapore kids face.
“How do I make sure my child doesn’t wait until the eleventh hour before revising for an exam?”
It’s important to give your child responsibility when it comes to preparing for an exam, says Gemma Church, head of Young Learners at the British Council. “The most successful students are those who take ownership of their learning. This doesn’t mean leaving your child to his own device, but rather, helping him identify specific goals and prioritise what needs to be done to achieve them.”
Work with your kid to create a study plan. After setting goals and identifying priorities, help him draw up a timeline, working backwards from the exam dates.
Gemma says to start this well in advance so your child has plenty of time and doesn’t feel like he has to cram all his revision in at the last minute.
Be sure to schedule “down time”, too, like playing sports, listening to music and hanging out with friends, as these can serve as vital motivators during the exam period.
“Remember to involve your child in this throughout,” Gemma adds. “After all, it’s his time and without his effort, the schedule is not going to work.”
“My child gets easily distracted while revising. How do I help him be more focused?”
Today, most distractions come from online sources and mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.
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