Sometimes we all need a little boost to help us to catch up, that’s completely normal! Whether a child’s fallen behind because a topic was a little too tricky or something’s disrupted their learning, there are lots of reasons why they might need to catch up.
At Amplius Learning, we understand that it can be difficult knowing where to start when looking to help your child catch up on their schoolwork. That’s why we created this handy guide to run you through the top 6 ways that you can help your child to catch up this term.
1 – Ask Your Child About Their Learning
While it may seem an obvious step, many of us rely solely on what teachers tell us without asking our children what they’re finding tricky. Lots of children will be reluctant to talk about what they’re finding tough at school. They might be embarrassed, especially if their friends aren’t struggling as much as them.
Make the conversation about schoolwork a normal thing. Talk to your children about what’s gone really well just as much as what they would like some more help with. If we only focus on the difficulties that they’re facing, then they’ll think that they’re struggling much more than they might actually be. Ask your child about what they find easy & fun, and make sure to congratulate them on this as much as possible.
2 – Talk with Their Teacher
When identifying areas for improvement, it’s always a great idea to involve your child’s teacher. Compare what your child thinks with what their teacher is saying. Sometimes children are better at topics than they think they are!
Once you’ve talked to both your child and their teacher, you should have a good understanding of distinct areas of strength, and areas to improve. This is an important first step so that you can ensure that the catch-up learning that your child is doing is functional and efficient.
3 – Find the Perfect Private Tutor to Help Fill in the Gaps
Approaching additional learning with your children can be a daunting task (nobody wants to do more work!) Finding a way to make their learning fun and engaging is key when catching up.
The right private tutor will do exactly this. Every student learns in a different way, so it’s good to find a tutor that teaches in a way that suits your child. After learning as much as they can about your child, a private tutor will create a tailored, specific learning plan that targets key areas in engaging ways that suit their needs.
4 – Use Helpful Learning Resources
There are a variety of helpful learning resources out there that you can use to streamline the catching up process. Our two favourites are:
BBC Bitesize
BBC Bitesize is an engaging learning resource that uses simple-to-follow lessons and videos for pupils aged 4-14. Bitesize is a fun way to fit in little chunks of revision in an exciting, visual way.
Twinkl
Twinkl is a fantastic depository of teacher-created learning resources that you can download at home. All of their work is broken down into ages & subjects so you can easily find specific resources on topics that need covering.
5 – Set Additional Home Learning Time
Factor in regular home learning time into your schedule. Having a routine in place for home learning ensures that learning is more consistent. In addition to this, normalising learning at home will make it easier for you to convince your children that working at home is just as important as studying at school!
Make sure to take a genuine interest in what your child is working on. Your enthusiasm is very important when making home learning fun and engaging. Encourage them to share with you what they’ve done and make sure to let them know that they’re doing a great job. Remember that mistakes are good, too – teach them that mistakes can be a positive thing as long as we learn from them.
6 – Reassure Them!
Perhaps the most important tip of all – take lots of time to reassure your child that they’re doing really well and that you’re proud of them. It’s easy for students to feel down in the dumps when they’re having to revisit old topics. Remind them that everyone needs to revise and catch up sometimes.
Take the time to study some topics with them that you know they’ll ace. While they might not learn anything new from this, their mentality will benefit a great deal from showing you something they’re great at!
Private Online Tuition with Amplius Learning
Helping your child to catch up with schoolwork can be a daunting task. That’s why at Amplius Learning, our aim is to streamline the process by helping you to find the perfect tutor for your needs. Whether your child is struggling, jumping ahead or somewhere in the middle, our handpicked tutors are here to provide tailored online tuition in a way that’s convenient for you.
If you’re looking for a fun & effective learning environment to help your child blossom at school, contact us today to chat with one of our qualified teachers.