Many of the Kin Learning books have topics split into sections, for example, there are 12 short percentages sections and that’s before you go on to the many percentages problems pages that follow. In an effort to ensure to make sure that your child is on track, or even ahead, it can be tempting to get them to do more sections – or even finish the page – because practice makes perfect, right? Mmm, not always.
Once a child has mastered a topic, completing more questions on the spot can put them into autopilot mode, where they’re no longer really concentrating on what they’re doing. They’ll be accurate in the moment but this isn’t very effective if you want them to remember the technique in the long-term. For long-term mastery, it’s better to cover a topic in small chunks over a period of time. This is because it’s scientifically proven that we’ll remember something better if we forget it a little before we’re reminded.
Your child’s tutor should space out their classwork and homework in accordance with these principles. Stick with just doing these sections and you’ll be helping your child to remember the topic in the long-term, not just for now.
If you do want your child to do extra work but you’re not sure which work, getting some other resources can be helpful. Be careful here though – with so many books on the market – of varying quality – you need to make sure your child is working on the right books rather than wasting their time on the wrong ones.
Some books on the market are structured poorly or can even contain incorrect information. Working on these books could cause your child more harm than good.
Even when a book is good in itself, buying every single book indiscriminately could mean your child could spend hours working on material that has nothing to do with the content that will come up in their actual exam. Whilst you may want your child to be prepared for anything, remember that using such a variety of books may lead your child to be a Jack-of-all-trades but a master of none. This is not ideal when the 11+ is all about mastery.
If you want to get additional books for your child, make sure that you’ve researched the content that comes up in the exams that your child’s sitting and get books with similar material. Having seen most of the books on the market, we particularly recommend books by Bond, CGP and Letts.
Remember, it’s perfectly possible for your child to pass the 11+ without going through every book around. Our tutors give parents advice on books so that they buy only the books their child really needs. Whilst parents often buy several books for use at home, this rarely results in a significant improvement in performance and can often just tire a student out.
It’s often better to consult your child’s tutor before teaching a new topic at home. Over many years of trial and error, our tutors developed teaching methods that are best-suited to 11+ students and they often deliberately teach subjects in a particular order.
Whilst we fully encourage parents to work with their children at home, working on a new topic may contradict what your child has learnt in class and could cause confusion. In order to avoid this possibility, try revising a topic that your child already knows rather than embarking on an entirely new one.
When revising at home, ask your child to show you the method they used in class. This works well for many reasons: firstly, explaining the method to someone else will allow your child to practise the subject in a different way, thus helping them to remember it; secondly, your child will enjoy being the teacher for once, making it easier to get them to work; and finally, gaining an understanding of your child’s method will make it easier for you to help them without causing confusion.
To structure revision at home, start by going through old books and exercises to see if your child can now do their corrections independently. Once you’ve covered these, see if you can find some similar questions (or even write your own) to provide a way of practising existing skills.
Doing calculations and working in books can only get your child so far. If you’re not sure that your tutor has given your child enough homework, have a conversation with them so that you’re both comfortable with the level of homework that is being provided. Once this homework is done – give your child the opportunity to practise some other skills.
Games and hobbies can expose your child to new problems to solve. Not only are these crucial life skills, but they’ll also have a positive effect on their academic work. Puzzles will develop your child’s spatial and non-verbal reasoning skills too.
Almost any TV programme with dialogue will develop your child’s English skills and real world knowledge in ways you couldn’t imagine – they’ll learn new words and phrases in context, learn about different accents and expand their general knowledge. All things that are quite hard to learn from a Bond book!
Kin Learning provides tuition for the 11+, GCSEs and for general improvement.
To give your child the 11+ preparation they need, we provide 11+ classes, mock tests and summer courses.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT 11+ PREPARATION
Share on facebook
Share on google
Share on twitter
Share on pinterest
Share on email
Youtube
Facebook
t: 07871 766937
![\"work-with-us\"](\"https://kinlearning.com/wp-content/uploads/elementor/thumbs/Kin-logo-orange-gradient-o8qfajh1uh21d96gqy6dwoor7jrku69sos880zrat0.png\" "\\"Kin"){kind=logo}