Not just that, the reading mojo is retained and benefits continue to come the child's way. Need another reason?
Exams are periods of stress when a lot is crammed into short periods of time and extra classes at the tuitions to enable the child to perform in the exams, are common. While the exam stress is inevitable, a little relief in terms of relaxation, be it play or watching T.V or simply spending at least 10-15 minutes with a nice story book is essential. These activities help reduce stress as they offer a space where there are no performance parameters. In fact there is room to just let the mind free.
Parental concerns about leisure reading during exams
There is always the worry that there would be a loss of focus during exams and hence as parents we tend to cut out distractions. Sadly, leisure reading is considered a distraction too and hence stopped.
What does a leisure reading break do?
Readers who don't necessarily enjoy reading for multiple reasons find it extremely challenging to go back to reading a book especially after week long breaks due to exams. Worse, children tend to associate reading with studying for exams. They become unable to see reading as a means to unwind sans the performance pressure. As this association becomes deeper over the years, the reluctance to read anything grows. Repeated attempts by teachers and parents to get the reading mojo back often misfire and then children are branded as 'non- readers' or 'doesn't read'. Over the years, this label get stuck making the children also believe that they can't read or worse, "I don't like reading."
Worse, children tend to associate reading with studying for exams. They become unable to see reading as a means to unwind sans the performance pressure. As a result, they are unable to develop a love for reading and reap the benefits thereof.
Here is how leisure reading can relieve stress especially during exams
Research suggests that leisure reading can actually benefit academic performance:
Improved Vocabulary and Language Skills
Frequent leisure reading helps children develop a wider vocabulary and better language comprehension skills. These abilities are critical to perform well in written exams. Ironically avid readers go back to books as a way to destress. It helps them imagine a different world, get transported even to a different setting. That change of scene helps to refresh better than mindless watching of YouTube or T.V. Having grown with access to books all the time these children often have better comprehension abilities and hence are able to grasp concepts faster, thus enabling them to make time to unwind with a book.
Positive Attitudes Towards Learning
Children who read for fun tend to have more positive attitudes about learning in general. Needless to say attitude towards learning plays an important role in exam prep and has direct impact on stress levels. This motivation can boost their engagement and performance during exams.
Children who read for fun tend to have more positive attitudes about learning in general.Â
Stress Relief
Studies show that leisure reading is an effective way to manage stress and increase relaxation. A balance of course is required and enabling children to divide their time schedules appropriately is important. The good news is that all that it takes is 10 mins of leisure reading a day. That shouldn't be too difficult, would it?
Unfortunately digital distractions are lot more easily accessible than a good story book today. The implications often are not apparent but surface when children are much older, either in middle school or even high school. Efforts to transform them into avid readers all of a sudden then, often tend to fail. Leisure reading breaks during exams just brings children back to square one, thus nullifying any effort or progress made.
Leisure reading breaks during exams just brings children back to square one, thus nullifying any effort or progress made.
Light leisure reading recommendations to unwind during exams
Children don't need to read a Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings for example during exams. These books could tempt readers to spend more time on them, simply because they are fascinating reads. The good news is that there are plenty of books available that are light and short reads.
These could be comics or even graphic novels. (Difference between comics and graphic novels) Find a good collection of recommendations here for different ages and interests. The key is to enable your child to pick the one that interests them.
Don't have to buy all the time. Get a good library subscription! Children can finish reading comics and graphic novels in very short periods of time and hence are best suited for exam times. You don't have to worry about them spending too much time reading!
Poetry: Children who enjoy poetry could spend 5-10 minutes reading a collection of poems. Look for interesting recommendations here
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