By Anthony Kahinga
As examination season approaches, parents face an important question: Are we helping children prepare for success, or making them afraid of falling short?
In many Kenyan homes, you can tell exam season has arrived without checking the school calendar.
The television goes off earlier. Revision books take over the dining table. Playtime becomes a negotiation, and one question echoes through the house almost every evening: “Have you finished reading?”
Every parent wants their child to succeed. But somewhere between revision timetables, past papers and expectations, we often forget to ask something more important: How is the child actually feeling?
For some learners, examinations are an opportunity to demonstrate what they have understood. For others, they bring sleepless nights, self-doubt and the fear of disappointing their parents.
And sometimes, without realising it, the pressure comes from the very people trying hardest to help.
When studying is not the same as understanding
For Kenyan parent Lydiah Mathenge, examination pressure is something she has experienced firsthand.
“As a parent, I have experienced how exam pressure can affect a child emotionally. This taught me that education is not just about grades but also about a child’s confidence and well-being,” she says.
Her experience highlights a reality that can be overlooked during exam season: spending more time with books does not always mean a child is learning more.
A child struggling with mathematics, for instance, may not need another lecture about working harder. They may need someone to sit beside them, identify what they do not understand and work through a few questions together.
Rather than measuring preparation by hours spent revising, parents can focus on whether children understand the concepts they are learning.
Finding the balance between revision and wellbeing
Exam preparation requires discipline, but children also need time to rest, play and recharge.
UNICEF’s parenting guidance encourages parents to recognise signs of stress, listen to children’s concerns and support healthy routines that include adequate sleep and opportunities for play.
Parents can make revision more manageable by creating realistic study schedules, allowing regular breaks and recognising small improvements instead of constantly comparing children with siblings or classmates.
Lydiah believes parents should listen, encourage effort and celebrate progress while reminding children that their worth is not defined by examination results.
The goal is not to lower academic expectations, but to create an environment where children feel confident enough to ask questions, make mistakes and keep improving.
Making learning more meaningful at home
Textbooks and past papers remain important, but educational videos, interactive exercises and digital learning resources can offer children different ways of understanding difficult concepts.
Educational solutions such as elimuTab, which provide curriculum-based learning content and parental control features, can complement classroom teaching and support revision at home.
Lydiah also shares that using elimuTab tablets has made learning more interactive and engaging, allowing children to practise at their own pace and build confidence.
However, technology alone is not the answer. Parents still have an important role in guiding children, asking what they have understood and ensuring that learning resources meet their needs.
Beyond the grades
When examination results finally arrive, parents have another opportunity to make a difference.
Instead of asking why a classmate performed better, recognise the progress your child has made. When results fall below expectations, discuss what went wrong and how they can improve.
A report card reflects performance in a particular examination. It cannot capture a child’s creativity, resilience, curiosity or full potential.
Ultimately, preparing children for examinations should be about more than achieving good marks. It should also nurture confidence, resilience and a lifelong love for learning.
Because years from now, children may forget the questions they answered in an exam. But they may never forget how we made them feel while preparing for it.
The Author is Chief Executive Officer and co-founder Elimutab.
