I am saying this because nobody else will tell you.
Month a father brought his son to our coaching center for Sainik School. The boy was ten years old. He looked very tired. He had circles under his eyes. When he sat down he put his head on the desk away. He was not being disrespectful he was just very exhausted.
I asked the father what his sons daily routine was.
The father said that his son studied for six hours every day. He studied for two hours before school and four hours after school.
I looked at the boy. Then I looked at the father.. I told him something that he did not expect to hear.
I said, "Sir this is why your son is not doing well."
The father did not like hearing that. It was the truth.
I see this every year.
I have been teaching kids for the AISSEE ↗ entrance exam for ten years now. Every year I see the same thing happening.
Parents get worried. They make their kids study for more hours. They think that if their child studies more they will do better.
That is not true. When kids study for many hours they start to hate the subject. They. Stare at their books but they do not learn anything. They cannot focus during tests. They forget things that they already knew.
This is called burnout.. It happens to ten-year-old kids more often than you think.
Let me explain this with some numbers.
The AISSEE Class 6 exam has 125 questions. The exam is based on the Class 5 NCERT syllabus. It includes math, English, general knowledge and intelligence. That's it. It is not a hard exam.
A kid who studies well can cover the syllabus in five to six months. They just need to study for two hours every day. That's all.
So why are parents making their kids study for six hours? They think that the hours their kid studies the better they will do.. That is not true.
I have seen kids who study for two hours and do well. I have also seen kids who study for five hours and do not do well. The difference is not the number of hours they study. How they use their time.
What actually works is something that I have seen times.
Here's what I tell every parent who comes to our coaching center.
Give your kid ninety minutes to study math every day. Make sure they do not have any distractions. No phone, no TV, no things to distract them. Math is very important. It carries a lot of marks. If your kid is good at math they will do well.
Give your kid thirty minutes to do reasoning puzzles. The intelligence section is fifty marks. Kids like this section when it is made fun. Buy a workbook. Let them solve puzzles like they are playing.
Give your kid twenty minutes to read knowledge. One page of a book or a short video on current affairs. That's enough for a ten-year- kid.
Give your kid twenty minutes to practice English. Just some grammar. Reading. Keep it simple and fun.
That's two hours and forty minutes. Not six hours.
On Sundays give your kid a full mock test. Then review the mistakes they made. That's the important thing. Reviewing mistakes, not just doing more questions.
What about the competition?
I know what you are thinking. You are thinking that the competition is very tough and five percent of kids get selected. You think that your kid needs to study more to get in.
I always ask, "Is your kid actually learning during those extra hours?. Are they just sitting there because you told them to?"
Most parents do not have an answer to this question.
The kids who get into Sainik School are not the ones who study the longest. They are the ones who study the smartest. They know what chapters are important and they practice well. They take timed tests. They sleep well the night before the exam.
A kid who is tired cannot think clearly. A kid who is stressed cannot remember things. A kid who is burned out will not do well in the exam.
Let your kid play. Seriously.
I am going to say something that might sound crazy. It is true.
Let your kid play every day for least one hour. Running, cricket, football, cycling. Anything.
You know why? Because Sainik School values fitness. After the written exam there is a test. The school routine includes training, sports and drills. If your kid is not physically fit and mentally exhausted before they even get in how will they survive?
Also physical activity improves concentration. A kid who plays for an hour can focus better during study time. Their brain works faster. They remember more.
So do not take away your kids playtime. It is not wasted time. It is preparation too.
One last thing to every parent reading this.
Your kid is ten years old. They have their life ahead of them. The AISSEE exam is important. It is not the end of the world.
If you make your kid hate learning at an age no coaching center can fix that later.
Give your kid a study plan. Give them books. Give them a teacher.. Also give them time to breathe. Time to play. Time to be a kid.
Two focused hours of study will always be, than six hours of miserable study.
Trust me I have seen it times.
