When the children have exams it seems that the only priority is to study, regardless of the break or leisure time. All this is annulled in order to get good grades, so that children can study as long as possible and thus have a greater chance of passing the exam or getting good grades. But is this really suitable? Is it a good idea to sacrifice rest or leisure time just for studying? The answer is a definit no.

Rest time is just as important as study time

If a child (or anyone who has to study for an exam), prioritizes study time and not rest time, they will be doing things wrong. The brain needs small periods of rest between study and study, it is the only way to recover from the great effort that studying incessantly implies for the mind. Therefore, for a child who is studying Primary Education, it is necessary that for each hour of study, they must rest 10 minutes and a child who is studying in Secondary Education, for each hour and a half or two hours of study, they must also rest 10 minutes. In this way the brain is recharged with energy and can also be more active for the next round of study. 

This 10-minute break should be done in a relaxed way, that is, the ideal is to stop to eat a piece of fruit or simply lie down or sit with your eyes closed to rest your mind. It is necessary that new technologies or activities that can hook the child and forget the priority are not used.

Leisure should not be suppressed either

There are many parents who suppress leisure time completely so that the child can study. While it is true that leisure time can be a privilege that is removed if the child’s behavior is not correct, it is also true that if the child is diligent and usually has good behavior, why should it be removed? suppress leisure time if it can help you clear your mind and then perform better?

We are not saying that you should spend every day doing things that you like, but an hour once or twice a week is not too much. It will help you clear your mind so that you can perform better afterwards. Sports, musical or artistic activities can be good options.

Sleep time: the most important of all

The priority before an exam is not to study at night, it is to sleep! If your child really wants to get a good grade, it is a priority that they do not lack their sleep. Even if you sleep a little more (about 20 minutes in elementary school children) it is directly related to improvements in grades, according to a study.

For the study, researchers from McGill University and the Douglas University Institute of Mental Health created a sleep education program for elementary-aged children. The curriculum focused on the use of age-appropriate methods to teach hygiene and healthy sleep habits. Overall, 71 students between the ages of 7 and 11 participated in weekly two-hour interactive classes for six weeks. At home, parents helped measure the students’ sleep by placing a monitor on the non-dominant wrist at night for four nights of the week. Parents also provided researchers with notebooks containing their children’s grades at the beginning and end of the program.

At the end of the study, the students slept, on average, 18.2 minutes more a night than they did before going through the program. They also slept 2.3 percent better, overall. This translated into a significant improvement in math and also in English grades.

The researchers concluded that sleep is an important factor in learning potential, and that the cooperation of parents and educators is needed to ensure that children get enough sleep and rest.