HAVING a child who has a big examination coming is not an easy feat. The role of guiding children does not only fall in the hands of teachers at schools. Parents, too, are responsible in educating and guiding children through their life.

Primary School Assessment or widely known as PSR in Brunei Darussalam is the first ‘big’ examination that children have to go through to proceed to secondary level and one step closer to achieving their future goals.

With PSR time just around the corner, parents will put pressure on the child to perform well and often end up adding unnecessary stress to their child. A child needs extra care and attention during this potentially pressurising period of time. It is therefore important for parents to provide the right support and guidance.

Studies have shown that sufficient parental involvement in children’s education contribute to greater achievements in school:

Rule no 1: Do not nag

No good can come from nagging. Avoid pressuring your child and give positive encouragement instead. Children need confidence and faith in themselves to give the best that they can. Try not to make too many demands on your child and relieve them of their house chores during exam time to give them more time to study.

Rule no 2: Assisting with revision

It is important that you help your child with their study and revision as much as you can. It may not only mean helping out with teaching them per se, but in helping to plan a clear and effective schedule for revision at home. It can also mean ensuring that all relevant and essential books and required materials are provided. You can also help time your child’s attempts at doing past year exams’ paper.

Rule no 3: Eat, drink and exercise

Avoid giving them any junk food. Invest time in cooking them healthy meals with high-protein and low sugar that are good for the brains. Children who tend to stay up late or spend hours to study will often feel hungry and fatigued. It is important to serve them healthy snacks to stop them from binging on unhealthy alternatives. Encourage children to do moderate exercise as a form of de-stressing and healthy living.

Rule no 4: Adequate rest time

It is necessary for your child to take some rest in between studying. They need to unwind and relax to better concentrate on their studies. Cater to what your child likes to do. Reward them with something fun to help clear any stress. They will also need enough sleep. Parents cannot underestimate the importance of rested mind and body. They need to step in and insist on their child to avoid staying up late to study since enough sleeping hours is important so they will not get exhausted.

Rule no 5: No Comparison with others

Never compare efforts or results with other siblings or children. Be realistic in your expectation of your child’s performance based on their own potential and not of others. Comparison will only dampen your child’s mood and may put more pressure to their already-stressed mind.

Rule no 6: Stock up relevant stationery

Make sure that your child has everything required for the examination. Sit down with your child and go through the list of stationeries that he or she needs. A child may need a geometry set for mathematics examination.

Rule no 7: Rewards

Children, especially today often expect incentives for good performance and result in examinations especially a big one such as PSR. Explain and encourage your child that the best reward for their hard work will be their bright future and how proud you are of their achievements. However, small treats or rewards can be given as a form of encouragement that a child can look forward to such as a trip to the cinema but nothing too big and unnecessary.

Let us all be supportive and help alleviate our child’s stress and worries. By providing all-round support, we can only hope that our children will try and perform the best that they, Insya Allah. – Courtesy of Public Relations Unit, Ministry of Education