When exams are near, parents used to instruct their kids repeatedly, “Study well! Learn your lessons. Don’t waste your time”. Before asking them to do so just read this article. As a parent you should know what happens in your kid’s mind when he starts learning. Also, you should know how you can prepare him well for exams.

Mind is the center point of his studies and concentration. In psychological terms, mind is like a kite that flies in the sky. The thread that controls its flow is in our hands. If it’s the case of kid’s mind, the string is so delicate and may break easily if not taken proper care. So, parents should give great importance to mental health of their kids along with their physical stamina. Memory power stays in the mental health of a person.

Those three factors

A student consists of three important factors – his body, mind and family. These three factors are deeply co-related. If we draw a triangle, we can place these three factors at the three corners of that drawn triangle. In the case of a student, each factor supplies a few things for his studies. Health of body, health of mind and health of family – when these three factors join in brain of the kid in suitable proportions the kid gets good memory power.

Body health is important

Good food, exercise, sleep and treatment to diseases are the factors needed for maintaining proper health of the body. No need of expensive food. The food should be nutritious though cheap and should supply everything needed for his body. Breakfast is most important of all the three major meals.
Parents express their love by buying everything they get from markets. Such packet foods are sources of excess fat, salt and sugar and give kids nothing except health problems including obesity and loss of concentration. Certain food products prompt kids to sleep more and their continuous usage may harm their health. Mental health and physical health are deeply related and hence such discomforts will surely affect the mental health of the kid. So, it’s better to give them homely food than solely depending on fast food and packet foods.

Sleep and memory power

Parents often instruct kids to study for long hours at late night or early morning. Such kids who get less sleep can’t concentrate well in their studies. Things won’t stay in their mind if they don’t get proper sleep.

Let us check his memory power through a simple experiment. Ask him to write 200 words in a card. He can choose words of his favourite. Then categorize those words into two groups and ask him to learn 100 words just before sleep. Next morning ask him to write those words that stay in his memory.

Second night, repeat the same experiment. Ask him to learn those remaining 100 words before sleep. Then allow him to watch television or engage in some play so that he sleeps late. Ask him to write words from his memory next day morning.

It’s sure he will write at least 10 words less comparing first day. First day, his mind went to sleep soon after learning words while second day it sleeps a little bit late. Is television responsible for those missed words? Science can’t ignore that fact. But it says, less sleep is responsible for it. When our brain becomes tired, our memory power and capability is attacked directly. So, give it enough rest if you want to learn more.

So, a kid should sleep at least 10 hours every day till he reaches 10. An adult should have 7-8 continuous hours of sleep if his mind needs to work properly. Continuous sleep refreshes mind more and retains its memory – says recent studies.

Mind and brain are the sources of memory

Till now, science has not reached a conclusion. Does mind exists? Yet, mind and brain are related to each other – studies have proved this fact. Mind has three stages – memory, intelligence and mental health. Affect, behavior and cognition are those three facts in scientific terms and are also known as ABC of human mind.

Emotional balance or mood of brain is known as affect. Happiness, sad, anger, anxiety – all these emotions that cause chemical changes in brain are related to brain mood. While a person is studying or engaged in some activity that requires brain work, brain functions are more active. If his mind is happy and pleasant at this time (affect), data is collected and stored by memory more easily. Recent studies have proved this fact.

It means, you can learn only half if your mind is sad. That’s the reason why study graph of kids see a steep cut if he has encountered with some bad event most recently. So, keep him happy always and give him good family atmosphere so that he can learn well.

Different family situations, wrong messages through studies, low standard education and less interest in studies can lead kids to pressure. It can adversely affect brain functioning too sliding to depressions. Difference in tastes and defects in personality can also lead to such conditions. Low results in exams can lead to suicides as well.

Behavior of kids

Behavioural defects are deeply related to a kid’s memory power and intelligence. Most common example is hyperactivity in kids which gives restlessness to them. Some kids may be very smart and intelligent. But if not given proper nourishment and care it may lead to such defects. But it’s possible to bring them back through proper treatment and counseling. 

Cognition - the measurement of intelligence

It can be termed as the measuring instrument of intelligence. Several factors are to be considered while measuring intelligence. Genetic factors are equally important. Each person differ in cognition according to difference in input facts. Some kids are slow learners while others grasp things fast. But it doesn’t mean that such kids are not intelligent.

Concentration

Concentration is the key to intelligence world. Be fully dedicated while learning something new. Concentration will start functioning automatically. Not only for studies, but also for doing works concentration is needed. Through continuous effort it’s possible to attain this key to success. If so, your studies will be easy and things will remain in your memory for a long period.

Appreciate him without hesitation

An appreciation when a good thing is done, it inspires both kids and adults. Such appreciations directly stimulate a person’s brain by producing dopamine, a chemical substance. It stimulates a person to repeat the same action again. Self-appreciation can also induce brain to produce dopamine. So, it’s better to self-respect and appreciate ourselves without waiting for others, if we feel we have done something worth.

Paths for memory development

No short cuts have been developed to increase memory and intelligence except hard work. Continuous striving can surely help to develop brain and memory power. Make studies a hobby. Then only your kid can find interest in learning books. Intelligent quotient (IQ) is not same for all kids. Yet, if you strive hard giving proper exercises to brain it’s possible to improve it.