Why is my child making the same mistake over and over in his 11+ preparation?
I really want to emphasise that children don’t tend to perform better under pressure from their parents. Please keep this in mind as some parents can get very stressed themselves and start pushing their children into the wrong direction.
So try not to get upset with them as this can quickly affect them negatively. For instance, when they get stuck during the exam they will more likely think about your reaction than focus on solving the problem. This is certainly not something you want and should try to avoid at all times. Stay on their side no matter how well or bad it is going. Remember, you're a team and in this together.
So when you’re running into a particular topic that she struggling with over and over again, then you might have to take a step back. Start breaking the problem down into the smallest possible steps. Find similar problem sets and questions so that there’s a lot of material to cover. That way she can apply the same logic in different contexts and grasp the skill quicker. Try to explain the steps to him that went wrong as well. Then switch things around and let her explain the steps to answer the question to you. Teaching it to someone else really pushes you to a higher level.
Breaking down a question like that can become frustrating as it is generally a very slow process. But keep in mind that she will expand her set of problem solving skills this way. And if she understands the topic after a few days of work then I’m sure you will feel very accomplished afterwards as well.
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Also read: 11+ Exam Guide and FAQs for Parents
