As the days pass by and the exams approach closer, your child might start to feel stressed. Even though your child probably has a timetable in place, chances are that they might overwork themselves to study. They might even reach a breaking point hence they need to take breaks. Yes, they need to study hard and ace their papers, but you can do your bit to ensure that they don't overstress or burn out. Here are some dos and don'ts to help them find the right balance:

1. Sit with your child and chalk out a time duration of their breaks. Figure out how often they need to take a break. Every child is unique, some children require short breaks within short time intervals of studying. Other kids might prefer to take longer breaks after spending many hours studying. Figure out a plan that works best for your child and set their timetable accordingly.
2. Think of fun activities your child can do to beat the stress of exams. They could take a dance break, play a board game, take a walk, meditate, and exercise. Make sure that these activities are not too distracting. They must not hook onto your child's curious nature and take their attention away from their studies
3. If your child chooses to use their mobile or check their socials during break time, you must set up a screen time limit for them and make sure that they don't exceed it.

Here are some fun activities that will help refresh their mind:

1. Take a hot chocolate break: Make a cup of hot chocolate for your child. If they’re up for a conversation you can catch up with them and talk to them about topics they’re interested in (like their friends, fashion, games, art, books, etc). Keep the conversation light and fun, to take their mind away from studies for a while
2. Listen to music: Sometimes, it's best to let loose and dance the stress away. Music can have a calming effect on one’s mind, so let your child listen to their favourite music and unwind during their breaks. If you’re worried about the music your child is exposed to, then you can check out XY Life’s Spotify playlist for children. We’ve added the latest hits to our list and they don’t feature any expletive lyrics.
3. Stretch it out: Make sure that your child takes breaks from sitting at their study desk for long hours. Stretching will help elevate their mood, calm them down and promote blood circulation.
4. Spend time in nature: Encourage your child to move out of their room and go out. Let them take a walk and spend some quality time in nature to soothe their mind.
5. Practice breathing exercises: Teach your child a few deep breathing exercises to help calm them down when they feel anxious or nervous. Taking deep breaths helps promote oxygen to the brain and helps improve focus and concentration
6. Take a power nap: Have you ever drifted off to sleep on a bus or train on the way to work? If you answered yes, you must've felt refreshed after waking up. That's the power of taking a power nap. Let your child take a power nap for 15 minutes to half an hour. They will wake up feeling refreshed and eager to study.
7. Get ice cream: You scream, they scream and everyone screams for ice cream! Most children love ice cream and will jump at the idea of having a scoop or two during their break time. Give your child some dessert after their revision session as a reward for their good behaviour.

CONCLUSION:
That’s all the tips and tricks we’ve thought of to help your child make it through exam time. Try to make studying as fun as possible for your child and give them the confidence they need. We at XY Life wish your child the best of luck for their exams ahead.