Presentation for Parents Counselling Session for board appearing kids

1. Parents Counselling Session
ARMY PUBLIC SCHOOL, NEW CANTT, PRAYAGRAJ
Presentation By: Mr. Vaibhav Motwani, School Counsellor

2. Board Examinations- A Preview
 This year approximately 38 Lacs students appeared for
the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)
examinations. If we add the numbers from the state,
ICSE and other central boards, the number is
mind-boggling
– more than 1 crore students every year!
 This month of April is the best time to motivate students to start preparing for their
boards.
 In today’s presentation, we will discuss 12 tips to help your child score well in the board
exams and reduce stress.
 Important- The degree of applicability of these tips would depend on the characteristics of your
child and nature of your relationship with the child.
 Times have changed, and many parents these days do not have time to give to their children. As
a result, the children are on themselves and make wrong choices. Children who spend more time
with their parents tend to be more responsible, making productive use of their time.

3. 1. Help them Manage their Time
 Time management is the biggest problem faced by students
during their class 10th, 11th and 12th . With so many things
to juggle during the day, from school, homework and exams
to tuitions and extra-curricular activities, working without a
structure ends up making their preparation chaotic and
unplanned.
 It is good for parents to sit with their children while
preparing their study timetable and help them with the same.
 Parents should encourage the children to allot more time to
the subject they are relatively weak in. After the timetable is
ready, parents should make sure their children are following
it and not waste time procrastinating.
 It does not mean that they should be on top of their children
every time and interfere with their every activity; rather, they
should encourage them to achieve their study goals.
Case Study:
Mehak (17), her scores had
started dropping sharply in
class 12th as compared to
11th grade.
Issue: tuitions were taking a toll
on her

4. 2. Being There Works like Magic
 Being there with your child, not just physically but also
emotionally, can have extremely positive effects on them.
Students usually face an intense amount of anxiety and
pressure during their exam preparation phase. Knowing
that someone is always there for them can make a huge
difference to their mental wellbeing.
 As a parent, it is the time to minimize your outings; put a
hold on your favourite TV shows and family vacations. It
is a time to constantly support your child, be aware of
their state of mind, and be available emotionally whenever
they need you.
 Yet, do remember not to overdo it. Learn to give
appropriate space to the child whenever required.

5. 3. Use the Right Words
 You must have heard a lot of people saying that you should never compare your child with
others. This statement holds a lot of merit.
 Every child is unique and you should celebrate their differences and uniqueness. There can be
a designer, writer or even a dancer in your child. Even if your child is not able to score high
grades in a particular subject, there could be a possibility of him/her being brilliant in
something else.
 Every child has his/her own strengths and allowing them to build on them can help them be
successful in the long run. Marks are not the only criterion of success in life and thus you
should help them in identifying their strength areas in a supportive environment with constant
motivation.
 There are statements that you should avoid, such as, “Your future depends on this exam”,
and “If you want to do well in life, you must do well in these exams.” It is good to make them
understand the importance of the exams, but it should not be done at the expense of their
wellbeing. These statements could scare them and create a feeling of fear, which might hamper
their performance.
 You should simply use statements such as “perform your best”, “It is just an exam, your future
would depend upon your hard work and not just marks”, etc.

6. 4. Discuss their Exam Strategy
 How to write answers, how to make answers presentable, which questions to attempt first,
how to divide time between various sections, etc. are a few areas where your child might
need help. 6 out of 10 students don’t pay attention to their strategy and lose out on marks.
 Sit with them and discuss these areas.
 Case Study:
 Raghuveer (16) was a class Xth student with brilliant aptitude. He was a sincere student
and spent 3-4 hours daily preparing for exams. However, he was never able to complete
his Mathematics paper. His mother analyzed his answers and realized that he has a habit
of solving the paper in sequence. The first 10 questions carried 1 mark each and the last
section of the paper had questions carrying 6 marks. He was generally slow at the
beginning of the paper, and hence was spending more time on the 1-mark section. She
suggested him to start with the last section first by which he could invest more time on the
section carrying more weightage. Now, even if he missed out on some questions, then he
would lose out on fewer marks than earlier.

7. 5. Help them avoid distractions
 Young students often get distracted by activities like browsing social media apps and
watching tv series. While they are at them, they lose track of time. This leads to poor
grades. Parents should strictly monitor their children’s time on social media apps and
help them avoid distractions. This does not mean that they should eliminate these
activities from their children’s lives. Keeping a check and helping them keep track of
time will help.
 Music, Chit Chats with Friends, Morning Walk, Texts – Every student has a particular
distraction; all you need to do is find out which one is interfering with your child’s
studies and tackle it in the right manner.
 Case Study:
 Shankar (17) had a habit of listening to music while studying. He was not able to
concentrate properly and this was affecting his retention as well. His mother replaced
the music with instrumental tones to help him learn better. You can, thus, deal with
the problem by mitigating the situation instead of completely removing something
your child likes.

8. 6. Monitor their Progress & Help
them Create Self-Help Aids
 Weekly assessments can help in mapping your child’s progress and figuring out their weak
areas.
 Motivate your child to take up regular mock-tests in a proper exam-like setting and regularly
solve last year’s question papers. Make sure that they attempt the paper within that time limit
only; no extra time should be allotted.
 Remember that solving mock papers is an effective solution only if they use them to critically
evaluate their performance and find out their weak areas. This will help them in making
better revision plans and improve their performance over time.
 Students also get confused in certain types of areas and lose marks, such as Which formula to
apply when? Who was the last Mughal Emperor? What is Newton’s Law of Inertia? To help
them with this, you can advise them to create self-help aids such as small sheets or flash
cards with mathematical formulas, accounts formulas, physics laws, historical events, etc.
 You can sit with them and take an oral test for such areas. Ask them to write it down again
(without any help) and test them.

9. 7. Help them maintain a balanced
routine
 Approximately 6-8 hours of undisturbed night sleep is highly
recommended by doctors for a healthy living. Especially during exams
time, it keeps your mind fresh and study ready.
 Sleep deprivation leads to poor concentration and health hazards.
 Study Breaks : 50 Min of study and 10 Min of break
 45 min of physical activity in a day
eg. Walking, jogging, swimming
 Study at a proper place and room
 Use Meditation and breathing techniques
for relaxation
 Have dinner and fun time together

10. 8. Monitor and Identify any Warning
Signs
 No matter how well prepared a student is,
they tend to feel anxious during exams and
are worried about their results. It is really
important to ensure their mental well-being
by checking with them at regular intervals.
While being nervous/anxious to some extent
is normal, but if the child is using negative
statements such as “I can’t do it”, “I am a failure”,
I won’t be able to do anything”, then it could be cause for alarm.
 There are some other signs in extreme cases, such as loss of appetite, irregular sleeping pattern,
irritated mood, anger issues, loss of patience, etc. that could indicate that the child is not keeping
well, or is taking undue stress. Keep a check! If you observe any odd behaviour or changes, it is
the time for you to intervene. Talk to them about it or involve their sister/brother to help

11. Listen to Them
 Parents should sit with their children and patiently listen to their dreams and ambitions. They should then
make them understand how good scoring marks in board exams will help them achieve those dreams
 The time right after an exam is very crucial. This is a period where your child needs someone to share their
feelings, fears and anxieties about the paper and the impending result. Listen to their side of the story and
give them their sweet time to discuss the paper without any judgments.
 Even if they have performed well, they need a pat on the back. Avoid scrutinizing the paper at length to
point out the mistakes they committed. While we may think that this helps the child learn from their
mistakes, it does more harm than good by bringing down their morale, especially right after they have put
in all their efforts into the examination.
 If you wish to help the child learn from their mistakes, do it 2-3 days after the examination (avoid negative
statements here too and focus on constructive feedback). Once they complete their story, ask them
questions regarding their plan of action for the next exam.
 Help them focus on next paper: After a certain paper is over and the review does not seems so positive
from your child, do not probe them further into discussing their paper. Instead just remind them that
discussing the paper will not help now. So ask them to focus on the next paper and enhance their next
performance.

12. Proper Meals and Diet
 During the examination season, students study for longer than normal. A balanced diet is vital for
improved concentration. The food students eat directly influences their body’s functioning in various ways.
 According to a renowned dietitian, eating the right foods during the exam helps increase memory and helps
maintain calm in difficult situations. Have enough of Carbohydrates, Vegetables and Proteins.
 Proteins: Seafood and oil-rich fish are beneficial to brain health and concentration because of their ‘long-
chain Omega-3s’. According to experts, “Omega-3 fats make up around 8% of the brain” therefore, students
should eat a portion of Omega-3-rich meals at least twice a week.
 Check for Vitamin deficiencies eg. Vitamin D
 Rule 1: Never skip the meal
 Rule 2: Take regular intervals for snacks to improve brain functioning. For snacks use sprouts, nuts etc.
 Rule 3: Well-balanced Diet = Balanced Behaviours and Learning Environments
 Rule 4: Reduce Caffeine intake
 Rule 5: Drink plenty of water to hydrate the mind

13. Focus on your personal needs and
health too
 Every person has certain emotional needs of their own. Some
parents literally relive their exam fever through their child’s
exam.
 Parents should sort out their mental conflicts and create a
positive atmosphere for their children to study. Please
do not let your children carry your emotional burdens.
Put all stress-generating topics on hold.
 Children do not make it evident most of the time, but their
parents’ emotional state affects their mental health. If the parents
are fighting or have other issues, it reflects in their children’s
grades. Therefore, parents are advised to keep their emotional
burdens to themselves rather than display those in front of their
children, especially when they are preparing for their board
exams.

14. Please do not compare your children
 Parents should realize that their neighborhood kids and relatives can score high in
board exams. It does not mean their children have to score higher to beat them. As it
has been mentioned already, every child has different abilities. Competition is good,
but only as long as it does not affect your child’s mental health. Parents should
prioritize their child’s mental stability over the unhealthy competition

15. Be in touch with Teachers
 Teachers know a student better than their parents in many cases.
 Parents should arrange occasional meetings with their children’s teachers to discuss
their weak points and monitor their progress.
 Parents should try to find out
if they are attending classes and
giving the tests regularly.
 Find your child a Mentor

16. Conclusion
Every child is different, and no one knows your child better than you
do. It is great to be involved in helping your child with his/her
preparations, but you should know where to draw a line. If your child
feels you are interfering in their life at any point, talk to them openly
to understand their requirements and give space whenever required.
Be with them and let them grow.
Parents need to spend time with their
children discussing their syllabus and
study goals during board exams. This
will prevent them from procrastinating
and motivate them to study effectively.

17. Thank You Parents
for your time and attention !