How To Prep Your Child For The 11+ During The Summer Holidays

As it's one of the hottest weeks of the year, studying for the 11+ exams is the last thing that most children want to do.

This is especially true of 11+ students who would much prefer to be relaxing and playing outside rather than studying for one of the most important exams of their life.

For parents, it can be incredibly difficult (and sometimes even impossible) to motivate your child to study during these warm summer months. 

Even the slightest attempt to encourage them to pick up a book can result in hours of screaming and moaning.

Quite simply, it can be an incredibly frustrating time especially when you're fully aware of how close by your child's 11+ exam is.

Nonetheless, getting your little one to be motivated enough to study isn't impossible and it can actually be an easy process if you follow these 3 steps.

Step 1.

Be sympathetic. Think back to your childhood and how much you enjoyed playing in the glistening sun. Those were incredible days that have lifelong memories.

Although it's natural and normal to want to scream at your child and beg them to study during this period of time, try to be understanding and talk to them in a way that shows that you acknowledge their frustrations.

Step 2.

Act like a parent, think like a child.

One of the smartest ways to deal with a child's lack of academic motivation is to think like not just any child, but your own. 

What motivates your child?

What are there passions/interests? 

Which activities inspire them?

Make a mental note of your answers to these questions and begin embedding some of your child's biggest passions into their study periods. 

There are several ways to do this.

For instance, you could tell your child that for every hour of 11+ practice that they do, they'll receive 15 minutes of time towards an activity that they love most.

You could also consider incorporating their passions into their studies, for instance, use football to teach creative writing (yes, it's possible - we do this all the time during our 11+ courses)

Now this brings me to the final step (and my personal favourite). 

Step 3.

Use the "jam jar technique."

What's that?

The jam jar technique encourages you to think like your child and pay attention to the one thing that they've dreamt of doing or receiving. 

For instance, it could be a trip to Disney Land, a new digital tablet or the latest gadget. 

Next, grab an empty sweet or jam jar and tell your child that for every hour they dedicate towards their 11+ studies, you'll place a marble in the jar, once the jar is filled they'll be able to get that dream prize/gift.

The reason why this works so well is because it encourages your child to study without stating that they'll only be rewarded if they pass the 11+. 

It rewards them for working hard and acknowledges their efforts in a positive way.

Now that you've learnt three great ways to prepare your child for the exam, share this post on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook so that other parents can be inspired.

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Should I move to a different area to get my child into a good grammar or independent school?

Competition for secondary school places is constantly heating up.

Naturally, there are too few spaces for the hundreds of children in each area who want to attend their best local (or not so local) school.

Due to the fact that several of the best schools prioritise the applications of children who live locally, parents are often tempted to move homes in a bid to guarantee that their child wins a place at a sought-after school.

Although this is a tempting option, it's worth asking yourself whether it's really worth the effort.

Are you willing to take the time and energy to change jobs, travel to work further, move away from close family and friends?

Are you willing to do everything and anything in the bid to increase your child's chances of getting into a particular school?

For some parents, the answer is a straight-forward YES.

For others, the idea of making such a big change is absurd and could potentially cause both short and long term problems.

Truthfully, there is no one-size fits all solution.

When making a decision like this, think about your child, yourself and your family. 

Whilst some families will find moving to be a breeze, others will struggle. It's therefore important to think about how your family will adapt to moving to a completely different area during a time when your child is making one of the biggest changes that they've ever made.

Also consider the fact that you'll be going through all of the difficulties of moving home whilst also supporting your child through their first year of secondary school. 

There's plenty to think about but ultimately the decision is yours. 

Now, let's hear from you.

Have you decided to move school during the 11+ process?

How have you found the move?

Are you thinking about moving but haven't decided yet?

Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments section below.

How to make 11+ vocabulary fun

One of the most common reasons why children struggle with the 11+ exams is because they haven't gotten to grips with mastering their vocabulary.

As a parent it can be difficult to help your child with this area because to be frank, most parents (and adults in general) struggle with vocabulary). 

Furthermore, with more and more private and grammar schools adopting the CEM exam, vocabulary is becoming a greater part of the exam which means that if you want your child to pass, you must focus on this area.

How do you do that?

Here's one simple but highly effective thing you can do to help your child to boost their vocab skills.

Introduce Vocab Moments™
Vocab Moments™ are simply a 20 minute slot each week assigned to fun yet educational word and vocabulary games.

If you have family or friends over, get them to join in and make this a weekly activity.

One of my favourite games to play during vocab moments is Scrabble and I always encourage my students to have a dictionary, thesaurus and paper on hand so that they can write down any unique words they come across.

It's a brilliant way to improve vocabulary whilst enabling your child to enjoy learning.

Your Homework (yes, parents get homework too!)
Your assignment this week is to introduce vocab moments in your household.

It can be as little as 20 minutes a week and it will really help your child to prepare for the 11+ and future exams such as the SATs and KS3 assessments.

Wishing you a wonderful week.

Miss Olubi.

Founder, TheTutoress.com.

Q & A: How much time does my child really need to prepare for the 11+ exam?

This is a great question and one that many parents ask.

Before I begin to address the issue of how much time and money is needed to increase your child's chances of passing the 11+, I must emphasise that there are no guarantees. 

Some of the brightest children fail the 11+ and sometimes children who don't seem to be academic connoisseurs pass. It's just the way things are.

Now, let's answer this very important question:

How much time does a child need to prepare for the 11+?

In reality, students should ideally prepare for at least two years in order to stand the best chances of succeeding in the 11+ exam.

High quality preparation should include ensuring that your child has excellent Maths and English skills that are ideally one or two years above their age group in terms of academic ability.

For instance, if they are 9, they should be studying books aimed at 10-11 year olds.

Having excellent Maths and English skills is vital because firstly, these are key subjects, which are assessed throughout your child's academic life.

Furthermore, strong Maths and English skills ensure that your child has the right foundation to succeed in related subjects like Science, History, Modern Languages and Humanities. It's therefore important that you really focus on helping your child to master these two key subjects.

Alongside Maths and English, most independent and grammar schools will expect your child to sit Verbal and Non Verbal Reasoning exams.

Before embarking on these subjects, it's important to check with the schools that you're applying for so that you know which subjects your child will be required to study for the exams.

The more you know about the exam, the better!

After all, it would be a waste of time preparing for a Non- Verbal Reasoning exam if your child isn't going to sit it. 

Now, if you're wondering what Verbal Reasoning and Non Verbal Reasoning are let me explain.

Verbal Reasoning (or VR) is defined as "understanding and reasoning using concepts framed in words. It aims at evaluating the ability to think constructively."

In other words, VR is a test of a child (or adult's) ability to understand the relationship between letters or words and to spot patterns and meanings of such words. VR tests usually examine a child's English ability but nowadays many VR tests assess their mathematical skills.

The best way of getting to grips with VR is to purchase some VR papers (they're available at most book stores and online stores like Amazon, WH Smiths or Barnes and Noble). 

In comparison, NVR (Non-Verbal Reasoning) assesses a child's ability to spot visual or graphic sequences and patterns.

Usually, children who have strong Maths skills tend to find NVR less challenging than VR.

At first glance both NVR and VR can seem very daunting so it's important to help your child by gradually introducing it to them and encouraging them to practice the questions on a regular basis.

There are several publishing companies that produce excellent books that are particularly helpful because they allow children to practice VR and NVR at different levels and they have papers for different age groups.

Many publishers produce 10 Minute Test Papers which enable students to practice VR and NVR in as little as ten minutes a day - this is great for younger children in particular as they are less likely to have the stamina to sit through a fifty minute or one hour test paper. 

In summary, it's best to give your child two years to prepare for the 11+ so that your child can gradually practice the various question types. As a parent, you know your child best so try to take their individual learning style and needs into consideration when introducing them to the 11+ process.

That's it for today's Q & A. If you have any questions about the 11+ process, send us an email and we might just answer your question in an upcoming blog post.

Here's to your child's success,

Victoria.

Founder, TheTutoress.com.

Studying: Is There Such Thing As Too Much 11+ Revision?

The 11+ exam can be incredibly stressful for children and parents alike.

Photo by monkeybusinessimages/iStock / Getty Images

There's the constant need to learn new question types, adapt to the many changes that are happening with the new 11+ exam and for parents, the pressure to track their child's progress and react to every dip and rise in their child's academic performance.

Furthermore, the period from beginning exam preparation to sitting the exam and then receiving the results can last in excess of 18 months which further adds to the stress of the exam.

The harsh truth is that the 11+ exam is difficult.

What makes it even more challenging is the excessive levels of pressure that often come from parents, tutors and teachers who are desperate for their child to receive the best results.

Is this level of pressure justified?

Perhaps.

Could it backfire and have the effect of lowering a student's marks?

Definitely.

So what's the solution? How can parents (teachers and tutors) help students to pass the exam without over pressuring them?

Here are a few things that you can do.

1. Follow the 50-10 rule. Simply put, for every 50 minutes of studying that a child does, they should have a 10 minute break. It's an easy to follow strategy for ensuring that a child revises well without going overboard.

2. Be mindful of how you speak to your child. Positive words and encouragement go along way. To help your child stay motivated during difficult periods, speak to them in a reassuring and positive way and remind them that they have the potential to do well if they put the work in.

3. Prepare early. Leaving preparation till the last minute can cause chaos. The reality is that most students need at least 12 months to prepare for the exam and thus, giving them less than 12 months could significantly decrease their chances of passing. It's therefore best to begin 11+ exam preparation as early as possible.

The key is to ensure that your child revises and prepares for the exam in the most positive and beneficial way possible.