Parents’ Guide – Supporting Your Child Through GCSE Maths

Supporting your child through GCSE Maths doesn’t need to be a daunting prospect. Whatever your own experience and knowledge of maths, the best way to provide support as a parent has nothing to do with understanding GCSE Maths.

Help them maintain perspective

There is a lot of pressure put on pupils regarding their GCSEs, this can result in a lot of anxiety and stress on their part. Some students are more susceptible to stress than others, stress is not conducive to learning or motivation so helping them maintain perspective is really important.

Ensure they feel supported by you regardless of their results, this will remove an extra layer of pressure, and means they’re more likely to come to you for help if they need it.

Some students may need motivating, while others need reassurance, judge for yourself as a parent how to get the best out of them. Knowing that you are there to support them and not ‘get on their case’ will help your child through many stressful periods.

Give guidance for revision techniques

While your child needs to put the effort in themselves to revise, you can help by sharing useful revision techniques. This could be assisting in drawing up a realistic revision timetable using this much recommended app, or join in on a flashcard session.

Come up with some fun ways to help them stay motivated, take them offsite to study in a cool cafe with wifi so they are not confined to the same space every day, make sure their regular study area has natural light and an indoor plant.

Using technology as a revision aid can turn your child’s mobile phone into a useful tool, inspiring them to revise instead of being a dreaded distraction.

Look for apps to help with revision planning that encourage and reward productivity or that block distraction for certain periods. Encourage them to take breaks and do something they enjoy as rewards for small milestones.

The Pomodoro Technique is a great way to focus their minds and break big tasks into small, manageable portions. It creates a sustainable study habit and gives them an excuse to have a cute timer on their desk or plant a forest of trees.

Physical activities are particularly good for ‘switching off’ and re-energising, a simple walk is proven to reduce anxiety, tension and aid concentration. It also helps to absorb and retain the information more effectively while they are studying.

Anxiety and stress in students is real, calls to childline regarding exams have risen 50% over the last four years. To combat this Headspace has a discounted student plan that for many students will be worth the price of two lattes.

Provide support consistently

It is counterproductive to leave your child to their own devices until exams are looming and then suddenly be on their back constantly about revising. It is effective to help them work and revise consistently throughout their GCSEs, particularly with a subject like Maths.

Providing them with past papers to work through or an online tutoring system like Blutick will ensure that any weaknesses are picked up, giving them time to practice or get the help they need. This is less stressful than realising during their exam revision that they still don’t understand certain topics adequately.

The above are great ways to support your child in their GCSE’s even if you don’t understand the topics they are studying yourself.

Building these habits in your child will help bring out their best and provide them with effective strategies that will be invaluable for their A levels, university and careers.

Top Tip – Try the 18 topic GCSE Revision course specifically designed to instil confidence for those exams.