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Have your kids got exams coming up? Are you more stressed than they are? Don’t know how to help? Well fear not! Take a look at our top tips for parents to help you and your kids get through the exam season.
1. Give them their own space to revise in.
Having somewhere quiet and tidy for them to study in is key for success. If possible, set aside a room, or table for them to study at. This should be theirs for the duration of their revision.
2. When should revision start?
Revision for GCSEs and A-levels should start around February / March time. At the start this shouldn’t been too major, just reading notes or work for 30 minutes or so on an evening. We have designed a revision planner to help you and your kids revise you can download it by clicking on the following link REVISION PLANNER
I used to split my day into morning, afternoon and evening sessions and then revise for two of these a day. Each part of the day would be 3 hours long and was split into the smaller 30-50 minute sections. I would have at least an hours break doing something else between a morning and afternoon and evening sessions. It is key you have mini breaks as their brain needs a rest to absorb the info you have given it….this doesn’t mean an hours break, just a short break or 10-15minutes. If they are feeling HARD CORE they may even do some revision in all three sessions!
3. Keep the house as quiet as possible when they are revising
Ask your child when they are going to revise so you can keep the house as quiet as possible and try not to keep on disturbing them with drinks and snacks! They are only studying for short blocks and wont starve or dehydrate in that time!
4. Keep an eye on music, mobile phone & computer use during revision
Listening to music and using the computer to revise are not advisable. The brain has too many distractions if music is playing, the computer is on and revision is trying to take place. The best way for their brain to soak up all that revision is in golden silence! If they say it helps them concentrate….well I am sorry that usually isn’t the case as they (and I know I did) usually end up
singing along and changing tracks. Revision also goes a lot quicker with out distractions.
5. Help them plan their revision
Sit down with your child and our REVISION PLANNER to help them plan. Make a list of what they think they are good at and what they need help with. Keep subjects and topics together in one session and don’t switch between too many subjects in one day. Being organised is key. If they go to any clubs try and keep these in the plan as they will be a welcome distraction to revision!
6. Keep an eye on study groups
Just like music and computers, study groups may be suggested and seem like a good idea, and they can be. However it is not uncommon for revision to turn into a chat about other things. They are good for testing each other near the end of revision periods, but not general revision.
7. Sleep is important
Burning the mid night oil is not a good idea. Their brain needs time to re-wire itself and process all of the information that has been thrown at it in the day. 8 hours sleep at least is a must!
8. Don’t tidy their desk / space
If you think their revision area is a bomb site….DONT TIDY IT UP! Your child may have some system of piling notes together into topics. Maybe suggest that they tidy up at the end of the day and start with a fresh tidy desk in the morning.
9. Give them a treat / bribe at the end of day or week, or for exam results
Some parents agree to give rewards or treats, (although the rewards of good exam results leading to better jobs and future should be enough) a little encouragement can be useful. Agree these at the start and how they will be monitored. You may let them use the PlayStation, go on the computer, or take them to the cinema at the end of the week. I have even seen parents put prices on grades achieved! (eg: £20 for an A, £10 B, £5 for a C) Bribery is always useful!
10. Help them revise where possible
Ask them if they need any help with revision. You could time revision periods, mark multiple choice questions, read their work to check for spelling and grammar. Don’t do this all the time, but remind them every now and then that you are their to help if they need it, even if it is just for them to talk about a subject you don’t even understand! By speaking aloud they may all of a sudden understand something they didn’t before! Our brains work in very weird ways!
11. Trust them!!
Trust is really important. If you can help them plan you can see what they are going to do. Don’t keep tabs on them all the time, but ask how their revision on today’s topic went.
12. Buy them an exam pencil case
An exam pencil case should be see through and contain the following: 3 x HB pencils, rubber, pencil sharpener, 5 x black ball point pens, 5 x blue ball point pens, ruler, protractor, calculator. Don’t use fountain pens, they leak, smudge and can be difficult to read if written with a speed a the end of an exam.
Look out for our revision tips video on our YouTube Channel Classroommedicstv and don’t forget to subscribe to the blog! If you have any more tips or ideas, please share them in the comments section below! We would love to hear about your experiences.