How To Ensure GCSE Success For Your Child

School is stressful for any child, no matter what age they are. However, when you throw GCSE exams into the mix, your child will undoubtedly feel a lot of pressure to obtain excellent results. Either due to the school’s influence, the internal pressure from themselves, or perhaps you have inadvertently told your child that you expect their exam results to be good. 

No matter the reason, it is imperative that your child has a supportive environment for their education, as they will need help getting prepared for their GCSE exams to minimise the stress and maximise their studying time. 

If you don’t know where to start when helping your child prepare for their exams, please see the suggestions below.  

Help your child relax.

School is a great source of stress for children, as they often worry about making friends, and having to deal with bullies. However, as children grow into teenagers, the factors that contribute to their stress expands to include peer pressure to get good grades and exam results. 

Facing stress is a way of life that everyone has to learn to cope with from as young as six years old. So below are a few strategies on how to help your child deal with stress;

• Get a good night’s sleep; To keep your child’s physical and emotional wellbeing in a healthy state, your child must get the correct amount of sleep. Experts say that teenagers should get a minimum of eight to ten hours of sleep a night. Not only does getting enough sleep help you to de-stress, but it can also help you to think more clearly and do better at school or work.
• Talk it out; Discussing any issues or concerns with your child can help put everything into perspective and also find solutions to problems. Therefore talking helps ease the stress that your child may be facing. 
• Exercise; Any physical activity is a critical stress reliever. A minimum of sixty minutes a day has been proven to massively improve mental health and mood and keep your thinking, learning, and judgment skills sharp.  

Ease off the pressure. 

There’s nothing wrong with encouraging your children to try their best. However, there are a handful of parents that put too much pressure on their children. Placing kids under so much pressure all the time can have dire consequences. 

When a child feels like a class test or homework assignment will make or break their future, or if they don’t perform well during a sporting event, that pressure can lead to anxiety, depression, and other problems down the line. 

Here are a few ways that you can encourage your child in a healthy, productive way;

• Don’t put a sole focus on hard work; There is no need to constantly tell your child that they need to get good grades. Instead, be supportive of your child, especially when they hit a problem. Let them know that they should be proud of themselves for giving their best efforts. 
• Don’t emphasise winning; Children already feel the pressure from their school to get good grades and do well in other school activities. So it’s now more important than ever for parents to focus on sound values and provide a safe space for their kids to feel supported. 
• Don’t criticise; It has been proven that blaming your child for their losses and solely focusing on what they did wrong can negatively impact their self-esteem. Instead, sit down with your child and come up with ways they can solve problems and ensure success in the future. Also, let them know that you are proud of their efforts. 

Provide extra tutoring support. 

Learning in a classroom environment can be challenging for teenagers who suffer from depression, anxiety or a learning disability, or those who have simply fallen behind. If they have difficulties focusing in class or struggling with their homework and study materials, tutoring could help them to grow their understanding and confidence. Tutoring sessions outside of school hours not only helps strengthen their weaknesses in particular subject areas, but also help to improve their overall study skills and ensures they understand the best studying techniques. 

Boost your teenager’s confidence. 

No matter how hard your child has studied and how well they have revised during the lead up to GCSE exams, their self-belief is just as crucial to their success. 

Confidence can be the factor that eases your child’s stress, and so, it is vital to help boost their confidence wherever possible – even in small ways.

• Celebrate small achievements; Setting small goals can be more achievable than over-ambitious ones. So when your child accomplishes any small goals, then make a point of celebrating or saying “well done!” as this builds their confidence and will boost your child’s morale in time for their exams.
• Become your teen’s study buddy; Your teenager might find that studying alone is boring and difficult. Loneliness can affect your child to the point where they aren’t motivated to study, so helping your teenager to revise can be especially effective in getting them into the right mindset. Moreover, having the reassurance that they aren’t alone can help boost their confidence too.

Overall, there are many things parents can do to help their teenagers prepare for exams, both physically and mentally, such as boosting their child’s confidence, providing tutoring sessions, becoming your child’s study buddy, and helping your child to unwind.

To ensure that your child is successful during their GCSE exams, you will want to make sure that they are as prepared as possible and are confident in their abilities. 

Here at Aim High Tuition, we believe that every student can thrive with the right support. If your teenager needs a hand in subjects such as English, Maths or Science, our qualified teachers can help. 

Our experienced tutors take into account your child’s strengths and weaknesses to ensure maximum impact in every lesson. Working closely with every single pupil, we help them to become more confident with the motivation to learn.

If you would like to learn more about Aim High Tuition or book a trial session, please click here.