Exam period tips for parents.

For many students and their parents, the exam period is an exciting time. Everything focuses on passing the exam. That can sometimes be difficult. What can you do? Five exam period tips to help and support your child optimally or if the exam does not go as expected.

2. Help with a positive atmosphere, understanding, and support

• Show interest and ask how things are going.
• Help put things in perspective if your child says an exam did not go well.
• Give your child compliments for effort and work attitude. That helps your child to stay motivated.
• Make sure the atmosphere at home is calm and relaxed. Prefer to postpone a fun dinner with friends until after the exams.
• Disagreement or quarrel? Realize that your child is very tense and may not be fully themselves. Talk it out, let go of what you can, and end the conversation positively.

3. Practice exams and providing help

• There is a lot of practice material on the internet to prepare for exams. For example, take a look at the website examenoverzicht. There are also many explanation videos of exam material on YouTube.
• Ask your child what help they need. This is not the same for every child. One wants to be quizzed, another does not. Keep that in mind.

4. Make agreements about social media

• Social media can distract your child a lot while studying. Discuss together which agreements you want to make about this.
• Whatsapp can be handy for your child to quickly ask a question about a subject to a classmate or teacher. Make agreements about how your child handles this. Does your child like to ask the question immediately? With the risk of seeing and reading many other Whatsapp messages? Or is it better to save some questions and ask them at once? What works best differs per child.
• Discuss how you can help your child to stick to the agreements. For example, by checking if push notifications are turned off, putting the phone temporarily out of your child’s reach, or letting your child fully have control.

5. Provide a healthy foundation

• Relaxation helps your child to store the study material better. So make sure your child takes regular breaks from studying.
• Exercise and fresh air are also important. Send your child outside or to sports training during breaks. Then your child can study again feeling fit and fresh.
• Make sure your child also gets enough fresh air in the study room. Open the window well sometimes.
• Make sure your child’s room is ‘study friendly’.
• Enough sleep helps with good concentration during the exam. So go to bed on time!
• Fresh fruit and vegetables are fuel for the brain. Help your child eat as healthy as possible.

With these exam period tips for parents, you will enter the exciting period well prepared for you and your child. Want to know more or have questions? View the frequently asked questions about exams.