The Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) continues to be a high-stakes exam, even with proposed changes that took place in 2021.
The Ministry of Education has, in recent years, taken steps to reduce the overemphasis on academic marks, by not naming the top scorers of national examinations and investing more in programmes to nurture students’ strengths in other areas, such as sports or music.
Despite this, many children are often referred to specialists following their exams due to anxiety, depression and sometimes even self-harm. Here’s how to help your child manage the stress that comes along with exam season.
Learning meditation at an early age can help your child to cope with stressful situations later in life. Use a meditation app like Balance or Calm, or simply demonstrate by sitting and breathing together with your child, even if for just five minutes.
You can also invite your child to think of a place — either real or imaginary — that makes them feel relaxed and happy. Encourage them to breathe deeply, in for three seconds and out for six, while thinking about this place and how it makes them feel. Let them know it’s okay if their mind wanders. With daily practice, they’ll be able to meditate and focus for longer.
Get them to do an activity to take their mind off their studies for a bit, or develop hobbies that don’t relate to their studies. This also includes activities that aren’t related to their co-curriculars or enrichment lessons — you want them to associate the hobby with freedom and exploration, not stress.
Outdoor physical activities like cycling are best, as nature has been proven to decrease stress in both adults and children. However, if your child really needs some downtime indoors, get them to read a fiction book of their choice or play board games with them.
Remind your child to accept their limitations. “Not everyone can get straight A’s, so tell your child that he can only do his best. Remind yourself, and them, that nobody is perfect,” says Helen Marjan, CEO and director of studies at Lorna Whiston Schools.
If your child seems fearful of failure, get him to practise positive visualisation by closing his eyes and recalling an occasion where he felt confident and in control. Then get him to imagine a successful outcome for his exams by transferring those feelings. He doesn’t have to imagine a row of straight A’s — he can simply visualise feeling reassured and confident that he’s done his best after the exams.
Encourage your child to ask questions and to express their concerns and fears. When he expresses doubt, take some time to validate his feelings — don’t rush in with solutions or anecdotes immediately. He’s now at an age where he can be guided to a solution himself. After he’s done sharing, ask him what he thinks he can do to change the situation, and what kind of support he’d like from you.
“Allow your child to make choices and have some control in his life. The more people feel they have control over a situation, the better their response to stress will be,” Helen advises.
If your child’s in a rut, get them out of it by planning a family outing — even if it’s for a couple of hours to a favourite restaurant or a new water park during exam week. Being exposed to novel environments and situations helps them to get out of their head and do a mental reset.
Bedtime should be consistent, with no exceptions. “A lack of sleep can lead to decreased attentiveness, poorer short-term memory, inconsistent performance and delayed response time. Make sure that there’s enough time for your children to unwind before they sleep,” Helen says.
To achieve this, practise good sleep hygiene with them: no devices one hour before bed, dim lights in the room, and a consistent bedtime routine can go a long way in getting a solid night’s rest.
Provide him with healthy meals and snacks to raise his energy levels.
“Too much sugar will turn him hyperactive while too little sugar makes him tired and irritable. Replace biscuits and cakes with a fruit bowl and make sure he eats lots of vegetables. Don’t buy sugary drinks – encourage him to drink lots of water instead,” Helen advises.
Limit his intake of fast food and encourage him to eat more oats, brown rice and bread, wholewheat pasta as well as seeds and nuts.
These, along with oily fish such as mackerel, sardines, tuna and salmon, are all good sources of essential fats, necessary for developing a healthy brain.
In the 24-48 hours before the exam, avoid giving your child any food that might upset his stomach or cause blood sugar spikes. Encourage him to have a small healthy snack every 2-3 hours instead to keep up his energy.
Having separate areas for work, play and sleep helps your child to compartmentalise these activities and provides a cue for transiting between them. If it’s not possible to have his desk outside his bedroom — as is the case for many Singapore homes — encourage him to put his books away whenever he’s done studying, as a signal to his brain to switch off from the stress. Even a short and simple routine of tidying his books, switching off the task light, washing his hands, and doing basic stretches can help tremendously.
Likewise, when he’s getting ready to study, he should have a simple routine to get started, such as preparing a glass of water, lining up his books and switching on the task light.
It’s a mistake to try and stuff your child’s brain with knowledge the day before the exam, as it will just lead to stress. Instead, dedicate just thirty minutes to one hour for a revision overview, then pick 3-4 important topics that may need going over once again.
How your child absorbs information depends on their learning style. Visual learners may prefer colour-coded mind maps for concepts, while auditory learners may benefit more from reciting the main points out loud or using a memorable acronym. Kinesthetic learners may learn better by pacing up and down while reading.
Make sure all this is done before dinner so your child can spend the evening relaxing. This helps to ensure that they go to bed ready for rest instead of having a head buzzing with keywords and concepts.
This is also a good opportunity to remind your child that the morning of the exam itself should be used for preparing themselves mentally with the meditation and visualisation techniques they prepared earlier, instead of trying to memorise even more, so they can enter the exam venue with a calm mind.
Text: Young Parents / Additional reporting: Natalya Molok and Melody Bay. Updated by The Singapore Women’s Weekly on 18 Sep 2023.