To think DS needs to revise on holiday?

[JustinAndrew]

We go away in a few days (to Spain) and most of it will be spent relaxing. Exams are pretty much on his doorstep as soon as he is back. AIBU to think he should be doing some revision while on holiday?

Well, I don't want to sound horrible but why book a holiday at such a crucial time for him?

Yes he should. We went away last week ds did a couple of hours a day.

How old is he?

my dcs are doing gsces and a levels. both are revising at the moment. But also both are refusing to leave the house (to visit their father) because they want to be at home revising.

I think he should.

I remember being in America the easter before exams and I had to do some revision when I was there. I wasn't too happy about it, but it meant I got to go on an amazing holiday, I just had to do a little work every day too.

Agree with PP that it wasn't a good idea to book a holiday just before important exams

Yes he should revise but I imagine forcing him to study on holiday with cause arguments and resentment. How much has he done so far and how much time does he have when you get back? Can he make a timetable to get everything done without having to take work away?

If he is in Y13 or Y11 (or their equivalents if he doesn’t live in England or Wales) then I think it would be reasonable to take some revision materials with him. He could do a couple of hours each morning (when it's cooler) and then spend the rest of the day relaxing.

I'm with Cats
Presuming these are GCSEs or A-levels, then yes, he should be revising. However, I think it's unrealistic to expect anyone to be revising in the Spanish sunshine.

I've got to say I'd not be going away if my child needed to revise during the holiday - it's not just a question of taking exercise books - he'll probably need text books, revision cards, decent Internet access etc - not that easy from another country.

I'd probably say he needs to concentrate on core subjects and take enough to revise that - maybe just Maths and English?

Going away doesn't sound very conducive to revision tbh. Even the logistics of getting all of his notes/textbooks together and taking them with you will be challenging. Never-mind shouting "cheerio, we're off into town!" leaving him sitting in an unfamiliar, distracting place trying to focus on exam technique.

If he's responsible enough I'd be leaving him at home tbh.

How old is he?

He should but you could have booked the holiday for after his exams. Any reason why you've booked it before?

Yes, he should be revising this week, but why you'd book a holiday now is beyond me.

DS1 has never been the studious type but even he has barely looked up from the books since we broke up (a week ago here). He hasn't had a single call from friends wanting to go out either, they're all at it.

My grandparents lived in France (not fancy I promise) so my parents sent me off on a classy £30 return buzz airplane for the whole of Easter with the sole purpose of getting me to revise away from distractions. Worked amazingly well. No internet/English t.v. (Was a while ago....) and I did just lie in sun and work through revision books. So yes your ds should be 'revising.

We had Easter holidays during exam run up. They should be properly prepared by now rather than learning stuff from scratch. We booked two cruisers - one per family. We sailed during day with mainly adults driving whilst those with exam studied on one boat and younger ones had activities on other boat - cycling, craft, cooking etc. Then evenings was switch off and relax time with opportunity for activity, meals out/BBQ etc. Worked out well and probably got more revision done than they would at home as they had something to look forward to and a set working day.

My parents took me on a few holidays in the run up to exams and I probably did more revision than I would have done at home.

I'd generally done the bulk so it was a case of taking a pack of note cards and making flash cards, then reading notes or doing some exam questions.

I didn't revise for my exams at all.

He should definitely be revising if he's got GCSEs or A Levels.

Even my DS (who hates revising) is managing to do 4 or 5 hours a day. But there's no way he'd do that if we were on holiday.
Is your DS saying he doesn't need to revise while away? Maybe do a deal, if he can really knuckle down and revise loads before the holiday, then he can ease off a bit while there

Personally I think it's a bit unfair to book a holiday when you know he won't be able to fully enjoy it.

oh poor kid, the timing is unfortunate
if it really is only a few days you're going to be away then how much difference are a few extra hours of revision (since I assume you aren't expecting him to revise all day on holiday) really going to make??
if he wants to take some flashcards or notes to brush up on a key points for whatever exams he has first then good for him but i wouldn't insist

by this point he either knows it or he doesn't - i don't think the benefits of revising would outweigh those of getting a break from exam stress and being allowed to enjoy the holiday with the rest of you

crumbs, how did they go cycling on a boat?

Why did you book a holiday right before his exams?

They don't go on the boat, they go beside the boat on towpaths across European canals.

How mean of you to book a holiday like this just before his exams. So you're all going to be lolling about by the pool while he revises. Poor kid, what were you thinking?