Revision can be tough, not only for students but also for parents. Children can find it very hard to stay motivated, especially after a long day at school, and parents can feel the strain themselves trying to fit homework and other school support tasks into their own busy schedules. Here are some ways to help your child get more out of revision.
- What type of learner is your child?
Everyone has different ways of learning and teaching your child in a manner that doesn’t suit them can often be the reason for a lack of enthusiasm or comprehension. There are three key types of learning styles – kinesthetic, auditory and visual. Kinesthetic learners work best by learning through movement – this could be movements, gestures, dance or acting. Auditory learners take in information through audio signals, so things like audio recordings and songs and visual learners work best with videos, pictures, shapes, drawings and paintings. Try these different methods of learning out with your children and see which one works best, then adopt it as your prime mode of teaching in the future.
- Working to a schedule
To get the best out of revision it’s important to have a structured timetable. Dedicating specific days to specific subjects, breaking revision down into small chunks with breaks and having clear achievable goals can help your child to settle into a routine and feel a sense of achievement when they meet their targets.
- Create a fun but distraction-free workplace
One of the big obstacles to good homework or exam revision is distractions. If your child has spent the day at school listening to teachers and working hard in class, they may be running low on focus. To combat this, you should try and create a study space for them where they will have as few distractions as possible. So, switch off the TV, find a table and lay out everything they need like books, papers and stationary and get to work.
- Encourage and praise
We were all young once, and while we want our children to do as well as they possibly can it’s important that you don’t overload your children. Limited flexibility in revision schedules, and a lack of praise can cause concentration levels to dip. Try to praise your children when they do well and cut them some slack with household chores every now and then when they are busy getting to grips with revision.
- Try something different
Research shows that one of the least effective forms of revision is the old school method of reading and copying down important information. Less conventional learning methods such as quizzes, flash cards, post-it notes, discussions and even YouTube learning videos can really help bring dull subjects to life.
- Use sensible rewards
It’s not unheard of for parents to ‘bribe’ their little learners with expensive rewards like video games, clothes, phones and even holidays. However, bribery sends out the wrong message to your children, in that you don’t trust them to work hard. You need to signal to your children that they should work hard because of the benefits that come later in life through good exam results and the doors that could open to them. That said, offering small inexpensive treats like some chocolates, or their favourite desert after reaching a revision milestone is fine and can help keep them focused.
- Take things outside
Switching up your learning environment can also have a profound effect on studying prowess. If the weather is nice then try taking your revision exercises outdoors, sit in the garden or a park and do your learning there with a picnic to keep you both going.
- Ask for help
Although we might not want our children to know it, we aren’t living breathing encyclopedias and there are times when your child’s homework will stump you both. When this happens it’s important that you seek out help. Sometimes a quick Google, YouTube video or a conversation with your child’s teacher can help to demystify a subject.
- Consider tutoring
Everyone has strengths and weaknesses and you may find that while you can easily help your child with some subjects, there may be others where someone else could do a better job. This might be your partner, another family member, a family friend or even an outside private tutor with specialist experience and skills to help your child excel.
- Keep a positive mindset
Maintaining a positive attitude is one of the keys to success in revision. If you have a glass half empty approach, then you will set the both of you up for failure. Try to be encouraging instead of critical if you want to foster a can-do attitude. If your child is slacking off, consider why that might be, often it’s not that they are lazy just that are finding that subject difficult, so scolding them will do the very opposite of what you are trying to achieve.
Every child is different and there is no such thing as a one-size fits all approach to revision, but hopefully some of these tips will help you and your child to get the most out of their revision schedules. For more tips and advice please visit our website: https://timeforyou.cleaning/uk/.
