Final prep strategies

[saffronLondon]

Hi
With only a couple of weeks to go, what strategies are people using I wonder?
DS didn't do any revision during the holiday and now seems reluctant to get his head down and study. I don't want him to have a burn out but surely one hour a day isn't excessive?
Any feedback welcome

[Balfron]

Think we are in a similar position. We had a break for a few weeks but now making the time to test/review and discuss tactics. I’ve said “we” have worked hard for nearly a year it’s a shame to not keep the standard up.
Everyone else will have had the holidays. It’s been good to have a rest.

[Sunshine08]

My DS took the 11plus a couple of years ago. We chose not to go on a summer holiday abroad so I could spend time to help him with any problem areas ( I work full time) but made sure we had plenty of fun stuff planned across the summer. So he may have done a paper / practiced an area he was weaker at on some days and then we did something fun in the afternoons. He didn’t work everyday - some days he did no work at all- We booked a holiday for October instead which he throughly enjoyed, knowing it was all over. So my advice would be plan some fun activities if you can do it’s a mix of work and play. Good luck!

[saffronLondon]

Appreciate the feedback.
I try to make sure he has fun stuff to do but he is feeling the pressure now (especially as the relatives keep mentioning the exams!)

[Daogroupie]

This is easy to fix!

Ask the relatives to stop mentioning the exams.

If they insist on continuing to do so, stop inviting them round or visiting until after the exams are over.

It is now less than two weeks until the first exam.

In the past we have had relatives that have made unhelpful comment, so we have simply avoided them until the exams are over. DG

[saffronLondon]

Sound advice DG

[saffronLondon]

One other thing: is it wise to take away the DS's ipad/PS4 for the next few weeks to encourage studying?
I am up for it but DH insists it will cause resentment.
Any feedback appreciated!

[kenyancowgirl]

Why not use it as a motivating thing? If you do this one hour revision, you can have 15 mins on the ipad... might encourage him to knuckle down?

[Daogroupie]

I have friends with three sons who made a stunning success of this strategy.

They even had their sons telling each other off to avoid time being lost on the device which was kept locked in a glass cabinet in the front room. Dangled like a carrot to motivate them all to work harder.

They are all at Russell Group Universities now. DG

[saffronLondon]

I shall try dangling the carrot!