GCSEs are right around the corner, and if you are the parent of a child who is about to take these important tests, you might be wondering about the best ways that you can help prepare them to ensure success.
Effective Exam Revision – What Can a Parent Do to Help?
There are many different ways that you can help your child during the revision period.
- Provide a calm and quiet place for revision – Can you do your best work with music blaring or the TV on? Probably not – and neither can your teenager. Ensure that they have a quiet and distraction-free zone in the home for at least a few hours each night. This can include keeping younger siblings occupied, turning down any external noise (radio, TV, music) and giving them some uninterrupted time to study.
- Hire a private tutor – Practice makes perfect, and some subjects do not come easily to otherwise bright students. Your child has the capacity to be clever at maths/ geography/ sciences etc., but their early difficulties grasping the subject may have left them convinced they are no good at the subject. Hiring a private tutor, such as Fleet Tutors, for some focused one on one tuition can empower them and arm them with the skills and knowledge that they need to succeed at their GCSEs.
- Go through past exam papersOne of the best ways to prepare for the impending exams is to do practice exam papers in exam conditions. Again a private tutor will help your child get the most out of these by providing more realistic exam conditions than their own home setting and by going through the answers with them afterwards and providing targeted help when it comes to areas that need to be improved.
- Provide healthy snacks and well balanced meals –While the common trope of someone “cramming” for an exam features a student slugging back cola drinks, munching on sugar and overdoing it on caffeine, studies show that we focus better and learn more when we have balanced nutrition. Encourage your child to drink plenty of water, and cook them healthy and delicious meals packed with vitamins and minerals.
- Be their cheerleader – By continuously communicating to your child that you believe in them and know they can succeed, you will boost their confidence. Do note – this is different than providing pressure or stressing them out with high expectations! Reassure them that you love them no matter what and that you believe that they will do their best.
By following these tips, you can encourage and support your child to do their best and succeed in their GCSEs. Start as soon as possible, as the earlier you hire a tutor or begin the other tips, the more you increase their chances of success.
This post was brought to you in collaboration with Fleet Tutors. Thank you for supporting the brands that help make Mum in the Mad House possible.
Great article! I think you are so right about the importance of providing a calm and revision inducive environment! Thanks, Helen
Great advice, thank you. Mine are still a little young for exams but I remember the stress when I was taking them! And I think my parents were clueless lol
In my humble opinion, a parent should their children alone and let them choose how to prepare for the exam. If they are wanted then ok, go and help them. If your son/daughter cannot control them they would not be able to pass it.
Cheers
These are some great tips, kids need all the help they can get to feel confident about the exams that they have to take!
I’m dreading the day when my daughter starts her GCSE preparation. Kids are under so much pressure these days.
I think every child is different and there’s some great tips here to help. When my daughter has a test to study for she often Facetimes her friend and I can here them revising together.
Practicing past exams definitely helps as it gets them used to the style of exam. I noticed a massive difference with my eldest when we were practising taking exams for the 11+
fantastic ideas and very useful! I’m still a couple of years away from needing this but I’ll definitely bookmark the page
Brilliant tips, Jen, I strongly believe that as parents, our role is to provide the calm and loving environment children need, all the rest falls into place if they have that. Good luck with the exams!xx
Some great tips! I found being supportive, while trying not to nag was the best approach for us – she was so stressed anyway that the tiniest nag from me sent her into shouting mode! Not looking forward to going through it again with the younger ones I have to say!
Brilliant tips and useful as well for A levels
Your tips are great and so useful, we found making a revision timetable helped so topics did not get overlooked, and we had slots for going over tricky topics too.
I am really not looking forward to this in the future, but this is a help, thank you! 🙂
Great tips. I have to say I’m dreading exam years as I can remember getting quite stressed when I was doing mine.
We are knee deep in this at the moment. Trying not to put too much pressure on him as the school is working them really hard