Dear Mummies and Daddies,
Have you observed that as your child grows older, his/ her life tends to be consumed by many activities such as studies, co-curricular activities and various social interactions with their friends?
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At this point, it is vital to remind your child that maintaining a healthy study life balance is essential! As parents, we definitely want to see our child excel in their academics and eventually attend into the top ranking local universities to ensure a bright future for themselves! However as your child pursues their academical ambitions, he/she may neglect the need to maintain a healthy study life balance!
#1 Developing Soft Skills
Every year, competition between job-seeking graduates increases. Employers in various industries do not base their decision to hire solely on academic credentials. More employers are now looking for certain positive qualities within potential employees such as leadership or societal volunteerism.
Take this opportunity to encourage your child to lead a healthy study life balance.
Encouraging your child to participate in activities outside of their academics will aid him/her in developing his/ her soft skills. Such activities can include volunteer work or your child pursuing their hobby in sports or performing arts! Such activities provide an extra edge in your child’s life as well as allowing him/her an outlet to relieve stress which has been accumulated from school!
#2 Keeping Stress at Bay
As the academic year progresses, your child will face an increased amount of pressure to juggle multiple responsibilities brought by their co-curriculum activities and still be expected to excel in their examinations!
Just imagine your child having to wake up at 6am, going to school for lessons and tuition before coming home for dinner. After dinner, homework given by the school is expected to be completed before they sleep. Imagine your child having to get through such schedule on a daily basis. It is inevitable that they arrive home feeling both mentally and physically exhausted.
As working adults, I am sure we experience stress occasionally within our working environment.
But remember, our children experience a sizeable amount of stress too!
An overworked child is an unhappy child. When your children are exposed to such stressful and unfavourable environment, they may tend to fall sick, feel unhappy and become less sociable.
We want to our child to lead a healthy study life balance. Having this balance prevents them from over-working, thus reducing their stress level or the chances of getting ill. We, as parents, should be held responsible for our child’s well-being and communicate with them more often.
Talk to your child every day after school to have a better understanding of their schedule. Allow them to share with you their daily stress and worries. Tell them that it is alright to take time out to rest and relax. Play a few games, hang out with friends or even spend quality time with you.
Here are some tips to maintain a healthy study-life balance:
#1: Having Good Time Management
The ability to efficiently practice good time management is an essential skill in life!
Successful people excel through good time management!
Having good time management is an important skill your child should learn and adapt! It allows him/her to be able to focus better on the things they want to accomplish in a given time period.
Encourage your child to use a planner or a timetable. Such items are incredibly helpful as it allows your child to plan for his/ her day the night before. This gives your child a clear schedule and allows them to know the objectives of the day which are required to be completed. Ensure your child has allocated sufficient time dedicated for rest! Doing so will prevent your child to from over-working thus maintain the stress level to be within the healthy range.
#2: Setting Goals
Encourage your child to set a goal in mind and provide them with incentives, thus allowing them to stay motivated in accomplishing their goals. With such motivation, your child will be able to do things more efficiently and have a sense of satisfaction when reaching his/her goal.
Let Me Give You An Example.
Let’s say your goal which is set on Monday is to finish two chapters of Math revision by the end of the week. What your child can do is to allocate half an hour every night to work on his/her revision so that they can reach their target. As parents, we should acknowledge and praise our child for achieving their goal! Bring them out for an ice-cream treat or enjoy some time at the arcade!
Allowing your children to keep goals like these can provide a source of motivation to encourage them to study! By the end of the week, they will have adequate free time to rest and spend their weekends on leisure activities.
#3: Maintaining a Healthy Social Life
Friendship is an important and essential element in life!
Your child would appreciate or may even need a group of close-knit of friends who are able to support him/her through tough times! In school, it is especially important for your children to have friends by his/her side in offering their aid in studies and even providing certain life advice that we parents may fail to comprehend or relate to.
Providing ample social time with friends will provide your child with an opportunity to rest and relax. Your children will soon realise that they are not alone in their studies and the fight against stress knowing that their friends are available to assist and support them when needed!
In conclusion…
We hope that the advice and points suggested are able to convince you of the benefits of a good study life balance! At the end of the day, having a good foundation of support is essential as it provides your child with an outlet to relieve stress and share their worries with.
Studies are important but allow your child to realise that there are more to be learnt in life which cannot be found in their textbooks! Build a wider social circle by participating in sports or social activities! Make more friends and widen your child’s perspective on life and our society! This will surely allow your child to improve upon their character.
So remember, parents, encourage your child to be more pro-active outside of their studies and it is OKAY to allocate time for rest!
Happy Parenting!
