WIBU to make y7 DD to revise in half term AND help her?

I wish someone had taught me how to revise. My dad was like " well you just revise, it's simple" when I asked him, but there's an art to doing it well. And although I always sailed through exams I really learnt as I went along how to revise effectively.

Our boys haven't revised for year 7/8 exams but they tend to breeze through them. But we do make sure they do other stuff, one does lots of strategy games and reading, one does lots of engineering projects (meccanno etc) and they both do lots of sport. It won't harm a child to spend a couple of days learning to revise effectively with their parent. Provided there is lots of balance, with plenty of downtime and fun too.

Aww don't apologise. It's actually made me think about how I can support my daughter. Her school keep all their books on site so I'd find it difficult to know the details of what she's been learning. But that might be something I can discuss at the next parent's evening.

You're clearly a super supportive and encouraging mum, I just wish all kids had mums like that! Don't stop doing what you're doing there's absolutely nothing wrong in helping kids with their revision. Just don't mention it to your 'friends' in future!

This is amusing because I'm in Finland and I had to teach my DD how to revise for exams at 7 years old because they have exams all the time here! So many exams, so much studying!

YANBU OP, good study skills are vital. I never learnt how to revise properly when I was in school, would just cram at the last minute, and consequently I did not do as well as I should have and regret it. You are doing something so very beneficial for your child.

Im a teacher...dont do this kids aree tired and newd a break

The tests are ollocka a3nyway. They are just something to write on end-of-term reports dor parents

DC both went to private schools from reception and had exams every end of summer term from year 1 onwards in different subjects - so yr 1 maybe just maths and English but by y4, would include science, geography, history etc.

It was completely expected from a v young age that they would revise over the holidays prior to the exams and by senior school level would have talks on how much work to do, revision techniques etc and schools emailed info to parents.

This is just my experience. I don't know how much difference it made doing exams at so early an age but certainly by gcse time, DC had a lot of revision experience and knew what techniques worked for them.

I think it's a very good idea to teach your daughter good revision skills and exam preparation. It will stand her in good stead for the next few years. Your friends don't sound like very good friends to be honest. I wouldn't bother with them if I were you!

Yep. I was left to fend for myself with revision and study habits, it was really hard. Your DD is lucky you are supporting her with it

If you do it little and often over the year next year, you might not need the two days. But 2 out of 9 seems a reasonable balance.

Dd is year 8 and did an hour a day over half term. She says her teachers have said to revise for around 20 minutes each time, with shorter blocks being more effective. So I helped her with a timetable of two subjects a day giving 5/10 minutes of prep for each subject and 20 minutes or so of revision.

Her end of year tests are run over two weeks so she will be doing more revision for each exam the night before. Every subject set revision as homework over half term. Some provided sheets, others guided towards books/knowledge planners that had previously been given out.

I think what you did is good parenting. I wish I had done this for my DD. I realised, too late, that the younger you can help them to develop good study habits the better. Your DD is lucky. Ignore the naysayers and ESPECIALLY ignore the mum who has the cheek to ask for your notes and then criticise them . It was generous of you to share.

I think it's a good balance and it's important they learn how to plan and study around year 7/8 so that they are independent for GCSE and beyond

4 half days might be better though - less intense may be more effective

Yanbu, I was a crammer and it’s incredibly helpful to help your child with a format for revision.

In my experience some people don’t like it when other people make an effort to do something they think is difficult because they feel insecure about the fact they haven’t done it or think they can’t do it. I got some snipey snobbery for teaching DD to read early.

Yanbu. It sounds like you’re really setting a good system up now and it will have an impact, beyond making your dd feel better when she does well, as some sets may be based on the exams ( they’re introducing English sets for my ds in year 8).

i wish my yr 7 ds was that receptive to help from me! Maybe the other parents are thinking how hard it’d be to get their DC to accept 2 days of enforced revision and its coming out in rude dismissive comments from them. Still totally uncalled for though.

I think it's fine either way at that age. The unreasonable bit is the way the other parents reacted - particularly the one blethering on about it not being parents work. Weird. It's not like you were submitting the cards for them to be marked.

I never did that with my kids in year 7 but I certainly wouldn't get snotty with a parent who did

I think the PP who mentioned the difference between the GCSEs of today which is a regurgitation of information covering 2 (possibly 3) years of content in one hit and the GCSEs and a levels that we took which were modular and you could bake marks or sit resist if necessary. The amount of information today's students have to learn is vast. Using year 7 and 8 to try out different revision techniques under parental guidance (if the parent knows how) is perfect to lad to independence and routine later on.

Children also like to do things alongside others instead of being shut in their room away from everyone. Getting them to explain concepts to you or quizzing them on the flashcards they have made over a cup of tea and a couple of biscuits is always going to be better compared to them being left to their own devices on their own and make it a more enjoyable experience . If you make enough flashcards for enough subjects you can use a Trivial Pursuits board to play and revise at the same time with each subject given a specific colour. Revision doesn't have to be boring or done solo.

Your poor poor child, life is much wider and more interesting than school. It’s only year 7 exams not GCSEs.

All children need a rest from school stuff to be refreshed and able to learn for this term, also to have a good work life balance and experience more enriching meaningful activities beyond school limitations.

Poor kid.

A quick read through school books/ready made revision cards would be the most I would support. An hour per subject.

I wonder if you are driving your daughter’s perfectionism?

Completely normal . I did the same at half term with my DS who is year 7 .

They are not being friends to you or you dd they are projecting their own guilt at not doing more onto you