Does your child know how to do revision in the way that is best for them? Developing a revision strategy that works for them can really make a difference to their success and stress levels. I recently coached a teenager who was just starting to revise for some tests at school. He was doing revision every night for a couple of hours as he was desperate to get the highest mark in the class. His mum was worried he was doing too much and wanted him to take it easier. As part of our coaching session, we talked about his productiveness and his perfectionist attitude (established in session one). By the end of our sessions, I managed to get him to change the way he was revising so that he did fewer hours but learned more. Helping children with revision in a similar way can be very productive.
I don’t think it is easy for children to find a revision method that works for them – it can take trial and error to establish the best way. However, there are a few things that can help your child regardless of their revision style!
- Some children are able to read the work once and it sinks in the first time
- Others have to write out notes, then more notes!
- Use revision cards or post-its as prompts
- Walking around their bedroom talking out loud to themselves, repeating the main revision points.
Five Tips To Help Children With Revision
No matter what the revision style, all children can benefit from help with getting organised with revision. Help them to be more effective by sharing these revision tips.
- Help children make a study plan and draw up a revision timetable. Then stick to the timetable (don’t forget to add rest time in too).
- Encourage them to change what they are revising regularly, so they don’t get too bored of a particular subject.
- Get them out of their books and onto the internet so they can find new information about the subject/find a different way of learning a topic.
- Let them choose a quiet place to study that does not infringe on the rest of the family. If you don’t have much space, try to find an alternative spot at the local library or another quiet place.
- Make children take short breaks where they can have a snack which will get them out of their bedroom/the office! Sitting still for too long can be counterproductive, so encourage occasional movement to get some oxygen into the body and wake up the brain.
What other revision tips do you use to help your child study? I’d love to hear more about what works for your family. Please do drop a comment below or via my social media posts. For many children revision and getting started is not easy. If you would like some help getting your child motivated please do give me a call on 07961312749.
