To help children enjoy the start of the school year, acknowledge their feelings about the holidays ending and talk through their worries. Re-establish bedtime and wake-up routines several weeks before school starts, set up a regular homework time and quiet workspace, encourage extra-mural activities, share positive school memories and help them set realistic goals for the year.
Children write exams because exams encourage them to engage with their schoolwork and show teachers and parents where the gaps in their knowledge are. Exam marks and feedback help children set goals and improve, help teachers adjust future lessons and confirm whether learners are meeting grade requirements, much like workplace appraisals later in life.
Studying can be made more fun by building free time and small rewards into study sessions, using educational apps and games, and learning through everyday activities, such as measuring water with cups to explore capacity in Mathematics. Word games, play-based learning and letting children lead the learning also help make studying feel less like a chore.
Parents can develop a good attitude towards learning by being lifelong learners themselves, encouraging questions and linking schoolwork to their child’s interests. Set up a learning space with fixed daily learning times, create a vision board together, let children take turns teaching, treat mistakes as learning opportunities and allow children to learn in their own way.
To split up study time effectively, plot every test, task and assignment on a monthly schedule, prioritise each week by due dates and workload, and divide studying into timed work blocks. Use a clutter-free study space, keep the phone out of reach, reward completed blocks with short breaks, sleep 8 hours a night and avoid last-minute cramming.
Learners answer exam questions better when they understand what each question type is asking. Exam questions fall into five types: literal recall, using words like name or list; reorganisation, such as compare or summarise; inference, such as explain why; evaluation, such as discuss; and appreciation, such as critically evaluate, which needs a judgement backed by evidence.
