With SATs just around the corner, many children will be starting to go over what they have learnt at school and may be expected to revise at home too. Here are a few ways you can help your child prepare for the tests.
Revision Preparation
You can help your child by ensuring they have a comfortable, well lit place to start their revision and that they have everything they need, such as books, pens, highlighters and a ruler. You could even go shopping for some new stationary to make it seem a little more exciting! It also helps to keep background noise to a minimum, so make sure the TV is turned off and siblings are quietly entertained.
Making a revision timetable can be really useful, especially if your child has lots of after school activities to fit in. Ensure there is plenty of free time too, particularly before bed so your child is able to relax and unwind. Your child may be going through lots of practise papers and revision in class too, so it’s important they don’t overdo it at home. Short sessions with plenty of breaks will usually be more beneficial than fitting it all into one or two long evenings.
Revision Methods
Revision is important, not just for SATs, but to strengthen your child’s understanding of a subject. Determining which revision techniques work better for them now will help them to do well in future tests and exams.
You know your child and can help them determine which methods they will benefit from the most, whether that is making notes and diagrams, discussing topics with you, or even recording and listening back to themselves.
Some children will learn more from making notes and flashcards. A single fact on a postcard will be easier to take in than pages and pages of detailed notes.
It may help to write down some questions for your child to answer, or even ask them the questions informally as part of a discussion about their work. This can help you identify any areas they are struggling with and need to spend a little more time on.
While some children prefer to work alone, others may benefit from a revision evening with a group of friends. They can support each other in areas they struggle in and test each other, while also developing important team working skills.
Revision Resources
Your child’s school may send home worksheets or revision booklets which reiterate what they have learnt in class. This is a great starting point, but it can be helpful and refreshing to look at other resources too.
If your child is struggling in a particular area, an internet search or revision website may be useful. However, you might want to limit the time spent revising on the computer, especially if your child is likely to get distracted by the rest of the internet or start playing games!
Revision guides are essential to help your child to get their head around a subject by breaking it down into manageable sections. Staring at a page of notes can get very dull and it can be difficult to focus after a while. Revision guides are a little more interactive and allow your child to practise, rather than just read through, what they have learnt. You can currently save 30% on Collins Revision Guides until 31st March 2016 by using the code SAVE30 at the checkout.
