Three Tips for Getting Ahead of Finals Season
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November is here and you know what that means: for many schools, finals are just around the corner. This stretch can be an especially tricky time for students to navigate; especially for those with executive functioning issues. When Thanksgiving break rolls around, students often believe they have a long time to study for these important tests. However, once that break is over, some schools have as little as a week before final exams commence! This time crunch can be a difficult time for students to stay organized and manage their time. Luckily, there are ways to work on this season ahead of time so there is no panicking last-minute.
Tips
Study Over Break
This tip is certainly easier said than done. Between school break and family coming into town (or your family going out of town,) asking students to take time out of their vacation to study is a tall order. However, finding time over the break will help your student immensely later. Simply remind them that putting in a little work now will prevent a complete meltdown a few weeks from now. There simply isn’t enough time between Thanksgiving break and many schools’ exam periods to leave it all until after the break. Luckily, there are some ways to make the sales pitch easier. If your family is traveling somewhere, car rides and plane rides can be a great time to get some studying in during a time where there’s nothing exciting to be missed. Encouraging studying early in the day can help too. If there are big family events planned for the afternoon, the morning is a great time to get those pesky logistics out the way.
2. Schedule!
It’s important to help your child schedule their study time. If your student has a planner or Google Calendar that they use for schoolwork, encourage them to put the time in themself with your supervision. This will teach them to be more autonomous. However, students with executive functioning issues are likely not self-sufficient yet. It might require you putting the times in your calendar and being the figure reminding them of the time commitment they’ve made. Remember: habits are not built in a day and we need to support our students as they work to build them.
3. Organize BEFORE Break
Your student will likely want to study as little as possible over the break. This is okay and to be expected when your child is on vacation mode! A good way to reframe this desire is to remind them that they want to make their work as efficiently as possible. To that end, help them get the materials they will need to study together BEFORE vacation begins, so they don’t waste time searching for old quizzes or forget an important textbook at school. Here are some of the things that students will need to effectively study for an exam.
Textbook
Class Notebook, with notes
Old homework assignments
Old Tests and Quizzes
Pencils and Paper
A study plan for the exam (possibly a study guide provided by the teacher, or an idea of how to make one for themselves.)
By gathering all these things before break begins, you can help make the work seem more manageable. Finals season doesn’t have to be a crisis. Following these tips can make Thanksgiving break a valuable time to prepare for final exams.
PS: For more finals studying tips, check out our blog, which has several more great and informative articles!