Helping your child at home

Updated 29 October 2026

Revision techniques that work

Which ways of revising are backed by research, which are not, and how to use the good ones with a child at home.

What the research rates highly, and what it does not

In 2013 a team of psychologists led by John Dunlosky reviewed ten study techniques that students commonly use. They rated each one for how widely it helps, across ages, abilities, subjects and types of test:

The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), which reviews evidence for schools in England, came to a more cautious but similar view in 2021: retrieval practice and spaced practice are promising, although fewer studies have tested them in everyday classrooms than in research settings.

1. Retrieval practice: test, do not reread

Retrieval practice means pulling information out of memory instead of looking at it again. The EEF says testing what has been learned is often a better way to learn than restudying the same material. It also shows your child, and you, what they have not yet got.

Easy ways to do it at home:

• a few quick questions at breakfast or in the car on last week's topic;
• flashcards, with the answer on the back;
• 'tell me everything you remember about...' then check against the book;
• a blank diagram or map to label;
• true or false, multiple choice or finish-the-sentence questions.

Two things matter. First, the difficulty: the EEF notes that children need to be able to recall at least some of the answers, or the practice does not strengthen memory. Second, the follow-up: when a wrong answer comes out, correct it there and then, so the mistake is not practised.

2. Spaced practice: little and often

Spaced practice means returning to the same material over several days or weeks instead of cramming it in one go. The EEF found a small positive effect for spacing across days and lessons, across ages and subjects. It pairs naturally with retrieval: a quick quiz on something from last week, then something from last month.

A simple pattern for a parent: practise something new today, quiz it again in a few days, then again a week or two later. Ten minutes on several days does more than one long session.

3. Interleaving: mix the questions (mainly maths)

Interleaving means mixing different types of question in one practice session, so a child has to decide which method to use. The EEF found moderate positive evidence that it helps children aged about 8 to 14 choose the right method in maths. There is little evidence for it outside maths yet, so use it mainly for maths practice: once your child knows several methods, give them a mixed set rather than a page of the same kind.

What to skip

• Rereading and highlighting. Dunlosky's review rated both low: they feel productive but do not reliably improve results.
• Learning styles. The EEF found no high-quality studies showing that teaching to a 'visual' or 'auditory' style helps. It warns that labelling a child this way may hold them back.
• Doing the homework for them. The EEF's guidance for schools advises caution about parents helping directly with homework, especially for older children. Helping your child plan, set goals and manage their time is often more valuable.

A weekly routine that puts this together

• Short sessions: 10 to 20 minutes, three or four times a week, at a regular time.
• Start with recall: a few questions on older topics before anything new.
• Check straight away: mark answers together and fix mistakes on the spot.
• Keep it low-stakes: the quiz is practice, not a test of your child.
• Keep a list of what was wrong, and come back to those first next time.

The session lengths above are a practical suggestion, not a research finding. The research supports the principles: recall rather than reread, and spread practice over time.

For specific subjects, see how to learn times tables and how to help your child with maths at home. Before a test, see how to help your child before a test.