For most Singaporean parents, Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) is something that shapes the future of their children.
There is no doubt that a great deal of hype has been built around preparing for PSLE, as it has been considered the most important exam for the kids at this stage of their young lives. No wonder it ends up increasing the stress levels in kids as well as parents.
PSLE even affects the normal day-to-day life of parents. It is very common to see parents take leave before the exams to stay home and give their children additional support. It builds up a lot of pressure due to the elevated expectations of the kids and the parents.
But stress will do little to help your child study or get good results. It’ll only make things worse and give you little opportunity to focus on studying well. So, when preparing for PSLE, parents and kids both need to keep stress far-far away. And to help you do that, we’ve compiled some tips to cope up with the high-pressure situation.
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1. Get Organised
First of all, you as a parent need to get organised and do the same with the kid’s studies when preparing for PSLE. Prioritize the topics or the subjects by difficulty. Make sure that your kid is not exposed to all the difficult topics all at once. Alternate difficult and easy topics to make sure your child gains confidence and does not lose motivation.
Plan in advance. Create a timetable one month before the exams and a to-do list for daily tasks. Monitor the completion of each task. This ensures you prevent the last minute revision and stress that comes with it.
At the accomplishment of each goal celebrate in some small way or another to boost the confidence of the kid. When things will go smoothly parents will certainly feel less stressed.
2. Be Supportive
There is no doubt that PSLE is a big deal for millennial parents. It has been noticed that many parents take leave from work and some even quit their job to help the kids get through it.
During this time they become excessively demanding causing even more stress to the kids. Being overly demanding shows that the parent is releasing their stress by putting pressure on the kid. However, getting more demanding make things more difficult for the kid. This in turn causes more frustration.
Become more supportive of your kid. Allow them to take the natural learning curve. Help them when they need a little push to get back on track. This way, you will see how you are able to beat your own stress.
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3. Be Participative
Anxiety is often the result of uncertainty. To avoid it, you will want to be aware of the learning progress of your kid when preparing for PSLE. To do this you will need to get more involved with them from the beginning of the year and not just 2 weeks before the exam.
Many parents take a hands-off approach and just send their kids for tuition lessons, until 2 weeks before the PSLE exams where they take a more active approach. But you have to find a way to make sure that you are not being intrusive. Follow the day to day progress of the kid by participating in their daily routines. Make them feel as if you are enthusiastic about what they are doing.
4. Manage Expectations
While the PSLE is a big first step for your child, it is not the end of the world if they do not do well. There will be many opportunities in life for them.
There are many things that are beyond the control of parents when preparing for PSLE. This includes the difficulty of the paper and the health of the child on that day. So, why stress out on something you have little control over?
Moreover, let us remind you that PSLE isn’t the last examination in life that your child will appear for. Yes, it’s important but there are several ways to succeed in life as long as one is willing to make the effort for it. A paper does not decide your child’s fate. So, dear parent and child, you won’t yield much from undue stress.
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