Rah, Rah, Ray! Hip Hip Hooray!

You can pass your exam today!

Sounds corny, right? Yet, if you and your child are trying to follow the Thinking Organized steps of preparing for examinations to the best of your abilities, then your student will be as ready as possible for the sometimes grueling process of showing what she’s learned since January. Now it’s time to bring on the positive attitude and take the role of being your child’s cheerleader. Optimism leads to confidence and success and if strong enough, quickly becomes contagious. Here are some tips to help you  cheer your child on to her personal best performance during exam week:

1. Stay calm. Don’t panic! A parent who paces around the house or voices concerns about failure can make a child a nervous wreck. However, a parent who exudes unwavering confidence will reduce the student’s stress, allowing her to fully focus on the task at hand.
2. Avoid the “we” mentality. Part of being an effective cheerleader is keeping the focus on your child. Helping create study guides and verbally quizzing her when requested is positive support. However, sometimes parents can become too involved in the process which takes the accomplishment away from the child. Keep the focus on your student’s efforts, while encouraging her every step of the way.
3. Provide Quality Work Time. Minimize TV watching during exam week and enlist the whole family in avoiding noisy distractions during study time. Parents can help by choosing quiet activities while the child is studying, such as reading a book or doing a crossword puzzle.
4. Encourage healthy habits. Serve nutritionally balanced meals and minimize the junk food, especially sugar before bedtime. Persuade your student to get enough rest each night. Remind everyone to release anxiety with some form of physical exercise daily, even just a short walk in the evening.

Nothing helps a child succeed like having a parent who believes in her. Let your child know that you understand that she’s under stress. Praise her for being such a conscientious student. Not only will being your child’s cheerleader help her through exam week, but it will also establish a positive attitude toward upcoming academic challenges. So are you ready Mom and Dad? It’s time to get in the game and cheer your budding scholar to success!