Although a small percentage of students thrive on last minute ‘cramming’, your child is definitely better off being well-prepared in advance for the exams.
Is there a correct time to start studying? “Practice makes perfect” is a saying we all know well, and I think for most of us, those are words that ring true. Some students can survive off last minute studying, but most of us aren’t able to do so. We need to give ourselves enough time to study, and you need to plan this in advance for your child.
As to how much time, that will depend on the age or grade of your child. I have found that a month prior to exams works well for grade 4’s. But, how to get started?
How to get started?
The best place to start is to determine what type of learner your child is. Often, parents don’t understand how their child learns or know how best to help them. You can’t assume that your child learns the same way you do. You need to determine whether your child is a visual learner (learn through seeing), an auditory learner (learn through listening) or a kinaesthetic learner (learn through moving, doing, touching – experiencing). Or perhaps your child is a combination of two. There are very effective tests online to determine this, and we’ve created one here! Try our free online learning style quiz to find out your child’s predominant learning style.
Once you’ve determined what type of learner your child is, dig further to find out what study techniques best suit their learning style. Here are a few suggestions …
Visual Learners
- Make mind maps
- Use cue cards
- Take notes and summarise material
- Use highlighters and coloured pens to summarise
Auditory Learners
- Repeat facts with eyes closed
- Record notes after writing them
- Repeat things orally
- Tell someone what has been learnt
Kinaesthetic Learners
- Study in short blocks
- Pace while learning
- Write lists repeatedly
- Use flashcards to memorise
Also remember to try different study techniques (from the examples – a combination may be needed) to see what works for your child during exam preparation.
Schedule time to cover each subject
Next, take the exam timetable and write down how many exams there are (the subjects) and the content of these exams.
Let’s use the subject History as an example:
- What is History?
- What makes a good leader?
- Nelson Mandela: A good leader and timeline
- Nelson Mandela – research page
- Mohandas Gandhi – research page
- Mahatma Gandhi – information and timeline
- What can we learn from Mandela and Gandhi?
Once this is completed, spread the breakdown over the month period (or period of your choice) before the exams actually commence. This can be done effectively by using a grid or calendar of the time frame required. Always remember you may want to give some subjects more study time than others. You’ll have to find a balance that your child feels comfortable with and that suits them best.
Exam preparation – how to test your child’s knowledge?
It is also important to remember that, even if you feel your child is independent enough to study alone, you must still step in and revise with them often. This will help break up their study time and help you to monitor how they are coping and what they are accomplishing.
- Practice old exam papers (try WorksheetCloud!) – this helps to get your child’s eye focused on the format of questions.
- Make up tests based on content in their textbooks and workbooks (again, try WorksheetCloud!) – this can also help relieve anxiety and boost your child’s confidence.
- Ask questions verbally – your child must explain their answers
- Get different people to ask – people think differently, so good exposure to different questioning techniques
You might want to try WorksheetCloud as it will save you time with making up tests and finding old exam papers. Everything is created for you and your child can start practising for class tests and exams immediately, all based on the CAPS curriculum.
Study skills tips
Here are the 11 Important Study Tips you should know …
- Determine what type of learner your child is.
- Find a study method that suits your child.
- Provide a space to study.
- Organise work before starting to study.
- Set a study time span.
- Create a timetable.
- Teach how to make sacrifices.
- Be prepared to make your own sacrifices.
- Empower your child.
- Remember that each child is different.
- Your child needs YOU.
Other ways to enhance effective studying
- Snack on ‘brain food’ – fish, nuts, seeds, yoghurt and blueberries. This impacts positively on energy levels, aids concentration and memory.
- Drink water
- Get sufficient sleep (read our post on healthy eating and sleeping during exam time)
Your child’s desire to do well is strongly determined by your attitude towards exams and studying. By actively being involved in your child’s schooling from an early age you can demonstrate the importance of studying. As your child learns to work independently you can gradually remove yourself, but continue to provide support by revising with them and supplying wholesome snacks.
This is a fantastic site! My child is so excited, the minute I received my email, she insisted that I have to print one! She ended up to complete two the same day! Wow!
Thanks so much Tania! That’s really great to hear. 🙂
I have two children. One 9 and 10. They are both Afrikaans and i started worksheetcloud and they enjoy it and practice there English.I think they going to need it after school.
Thanks for letting us know Karen. Always good to hear success stories. 🙂
Hi there,
I love this blog. Thank you so much. My grade 5 boy is probably auditory (I think). We both love the worksheets on your web site and it helps a lot. He also read the work while recording himself on his cell phone. He then lies on his bed, listening to his own recording again. 🙂 Its just something different, but I find it works.
Is it possible for Worksheet Cloud to direct me to a test that will help us determine his true learning style?
thanks for a great product,
Jeanette
Thanks for your comments Jeanette! We’re very encouraged that you’re enjoying our blog content as well as WorksheetCloud itself.
That’s a really interesting way in which your son revises his work! I think I’m going to try that with my son this weekend. 😀
We don’t really have any specific tests that determine learning style, but if you send a message to us via our contact page at https://www.worksheetcloud.com/contact/ I’ll be able to put you in touch with a teacher who might be able to assist you with this.
Adrian 🙂
Hi there
Is it possible that a child can be a combination of Kinaesthetic and Auditory.? My son aged 11 hates to make notes , but prefers if you ask him verbally. When there a difficult words in the text , I make him spell it out so that he can remember how to write it.
I find that with the Kinaesthetic, he is always moving, if not throwing a ball against the wall its getting up and down and moving around. I have learnt to do the studying in short blocks in order to get a bit more attention from him. Its frustrating because what could take an hour , sometimes takes us three with all the breaks in between.
Hi, it is absolutely possible that your child is both Kinaesthetic and Auditory and will therefore benefit from studying by using methods recommended for both. Adele
Hi there
Where can I have my son tested in Afrikaans to see what study method suits him best
Hi Susan
I would advise that you look for a good site online to find out how best your son will study. Google “learning styles” – you’ll then be able to read up about various learning styles and a find a questionnaire/test to ascertain which one best suits your son.
I hope this helps.
Adele Keyser
Hi there
I always make notes and hight light the answers, which she learns from, however at school when the have study break she will also make notes in different colours! So this week end is studying time as they are writing NS on Tuesday, I also printed out ur question and answers on certain topics! Hold thumps
I want my child to be ready for the exams and that she must have less stres during exams.
Hi Felicity
Thanks for your message.
A great study and exam preparation resource, that can help your child prepare for exams effectively, is WorksheetCloud.
WorksheetCloud is an online resource that gives you access to interactive and printable worksheets to help your child revise and practise for class tests and exams. All the worksheets are based on the South African CAPS curriculum which means that they are 100% relevant to the work your child is doing in class.
We also include detailed memorandums that include the answers and model explanations and working-out for each and every question.
You can see our full product tour which includes screenshots on this page: http://www.worksheetcloud.com
You can also see a full list of subjects and topics we currently cover on this page: http://www.worksheetcloud.com/worksheets/
I hope this helps. If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact us at any time or visit our FAQ at http://help.worksheetcloud.com for quick answers to your questions.
Kayleen 🙂
this site is really educative thank you so much Tina
Hi Tina! Thank you so much for your comment! We’re so glad to hear that you find our site and blog posts useful. Please let us know if there are any other blog topics you would like for us to cover in the future or if you have any questions regarding our content, we’d love to hear back from you!
Ross 🙂
WorsheetCloud is The best ever!! It has helped me so much in only one years time!! Thank u guys so much for the big defense you make in every childs life mime to!! ❤ I am grade 8 and is a big fan of worsheetCloud!!
Hi Nadine! That’s so great to hear! We’re really happy that you’re such a big fan of WorksheetCloud and that it has helped you so much! We hope that you continue enjoying all the activities and worksheets! We love hearing your feedback!
The WorksheetCloud Team 🙂
This site is amazing . it really helps during this lockdown for u not to forget your spellings. It’s a fantastic site.
Hi Merdie! Thanks for your comment! I’m really happy to hear that you find our app helpful!
Please let us know if there are any questions or blog topics that you would like for us to cover in the future.
Ross 🙂
Is there a free option available? Anyway read the blog every night GOOD STUFF.
Hi Nkosia, thanks for your comment! I am glad to hear that you finding our blog articles helpful!
You’ll be happy to know that we do have resources available on our website which are completely FREE for you to make use of. You can easily access them here: https://www.worksheetcloud.com/free-exam-downloads/
However, if you would like to have full access to all of our online and printable worksheets as well as practice exams, you will need to sign up with a paying subscription.
Please let us know if there are any other blog topics or useful surveys you would like us to cover in the future or if you have any questions regarding our content.
Kyle 🙂