As 2018 draws to a close, what better time to set new goals and plan ahead for your child’s 11+ preparation.
With over ten years of experience in preparing children for the 11 plus entrance exam, our expert tutors recommend four top tips to help get the best head start in 2019!
1) Create good study habits
As the majority of Key Stage 2 children are only set small amounts of homework, putting time aside each evening for a little extra work will really help when it comes to managing revision nearer the 11plus exam.
Start identifying which areas your child is confident with and those that raise the most challenges for your child. Our personalised 11+ Online Revision Course with Target Teach® technology is a unique and engaging way to develop a regular study routine, with direct feedback from a dedicated KSOL tutor.
2) Encourage regular reading
In order to really conquer 11+ English questions, children need to be reading as much as possible! Not only does reading expose your child to different types of literature, it will also help your child to expand their vocabulary and understand the importance of structure, direct and indirect speech and so much more!
To help get your child into a habit of reading on a regular basis, check out the KSOL Recommended Reading List for a range of engaging comprehension books at the 11plus standard. These texts have been specifically selected for their engaging content and use of ambitious vocabulary.
To ensure that your child is getting the most benefit from reading exercises, encourage them to keep a word diary where they can record tricky words. At the end of the week, you can help expand their vocabulary by clarifying the meaning of each word, and synonyms and antonyms for each. Perhaps ask them to write a short story or poem once a week that incorporates those ambitious new words or phrases!
3) Ensure they are confident with multiplication and division
As multiplication and division underpin a significant amount of topic areas within maths, a confident grasp of these topics is essential. Not only will this help familiarise your child with key mathematical operations, it will also work on improving their time-management skills and provide a fantastic foundation to calculating more complex questions on fractions and ratios.
If you are looking to boost your child’s maths skills or complement their existing studies, then the KSOL 11plus preparation tools are an excellent way to further their 11 plus preparation! Check out our exclusive range of 11+ Maths Revision packs, a great introduction to the 11 plus style and level of questions.
4) Incorporate problem solving into their routine
There are plenty of ways to keep your child’s brain active whilst having plenty of fun in the process! Revision doesn’t have to be restricted to pen and paper and can be quite easily incorporated into your daily routine.
With a yummy incentive, baking is a great way to get children excited about maths!
Encourage your child to recommend a meal or dessert once a week that you can enjoy cooking together. Ask your child to calculate how much of each ingredient will be required to feed everyone. Feeling extra brave? Try and encourage them to convert the measurements from grams to kilograms.
Christmas is the ideal time to get creative! As this time of year is unique to each of us in our own way, encourage your child to write a festive-themed poem or short story. This could be based on anything from hastily opening presents, indulging in an extravagant feast or spending quality time with friends. As an extra challenge, ask them to design an acrostic or rhyming poem! This requires an additional skill in selecting words that start with a specific letter or where the last syllable of each word sounds the same.
Active revision is an enjoyable, highly effective way for children to retain new information. What does your child enjoy doing most? Try and think of new and inventive ways of incorporating revision into activities that they already have a passion for.
Whichever stage your child is at, the most important thing to remember is that KSOL offer support and a wide range of personalised programmes to produce the best 11+ preparation for your child.
For any further advice regarding your child’s 11+ preparation, please don’t hesitate to contact our team on 0121 733 6558 with any further questions. We are always happy to help!
