Now it is the Summer season, and our child is probably holding on to dear life, wishing the Summer holidays would be sooner rather than later.
You both might be feeling:
- Tired from the last couple of months of working from home.
- Lacking the motivation to continue with schoolwork to the best of their ability.
- Anxious to get through the exam season in one piece.
Even though the GCSEs are cancelled in the UK, students still need to provide evidence of written coursework to help them to reach their target grade.
Also, students are still obligated to complete ongoing assessments throughout the school year, and so they need a way to prepare for this stressful time.
Here are my top tips on how you can prepare your child for their assessments:
Top Survival Tips When Preparing for Assessments
- Prioritise their deadlines.
If your child is getting ready for their GCSEs, then they might be struggling to complete their assignments and set themselves a deadline so they can prioritise their work.
Get them to write down all their subjects and write specifically:
The assignments they need to complete from the highest priority to the lowest.
Get them to set a time on how many minutes or hours they are going to spend to complete this assignment per week.
This will then reduce anxiety and they will have a clearer focus on what they are going to complete first.
This is an example of a rough schedule that I did with a GCSE student who was overwhelmed with the amount of work they had to complete. after we did this, they felt much better.
- Monitor your child's progress.
Touch base with your child to see how they are getting on with their assignments and their work in general.
This will give you more scope on what they need to work on before it is too late, as our children might not open up for several reasons:
They don't know what they need to improve on.
They are scared you might see them as a failure.
Or
They prefer to not have all the fuss and added pressure.
But ensure them that you just want to see if they are okay, but at the same time, give them a chance to breathe.
- Get them to write down their questions.
If your child is overwhelmed and unsure which questions they need to ask or who they need to go to.
Get them to write a list of all the questions they need answering, then with each question, you can work together on who would be the best person to ask.
- Get plenty of rest.
You would be very surprised how many of us do not rest and instead, we do a lot of busy work, even on our days off.
So, when your child is having downtime, get them to do things that will relax them and not keep them busy for the sake of it.
This could be:
Journaling
Going for a jog or walk
Walk the dog
Playing is a relaxing activity
- Exercise and eat well.
This is self-explanatory, but if your child is not homeschooled, you would be surprised by the number of students who will get an energy drink first in the morning before they start school.
So, keep an eye on what your child eats daily, and if they are not getting the right nutrients when they are away from you, boost their 5 a day at home if possible.
- Get a mentor or accountability partner.
During the exam season, it is always a good idea to get a mentor or a buddy to help you stay focus.
This could be:
A teacher
A coach
A family member
A friend of your child
A friend of the family
Whoever it is, ensure that this is the right person that would help your child reach their desired goals and give them motivation.
- Do not allow your child to suffer in silence.
No matter how stubborn your child is, it is our responsibility to find out how they are getting on and find solutions to the challenges that they are going through.
So if they are struggling to navigate through their assignments/revision.
Speak to a teacher they trust if they are not opening to you.
Speak to their mentor/ accountability partner.
Or even better, speak to them if you can and find out what type of support they may need.
it is not too long until yr11 students will soon be on study leave and the end of the school year of 2021.
So let's makes sure we continue to motivate our children to reach success!
So to conclude:
Top Survival Tips When Preparing for Assessments
- Prioritise your deadlines.
- Monitor your child's progress on these assignments.
- Get them to write down their questions and ask the right people.
- Get plenty of rest.
- Exercise and eat well.
- Get a mentor or accountability partner.
- Do not allow your child to suffer in silence.
