With this weather, it could be February and snow is forecast…snow!…in April! The daffodils are up, the spring lambs are in the fields and the birds are flitting about gathering nesting materials, but, alas, my gloves are still covering my fingers and my scarf is still wrapped snugly around my neck. What is the old saying? ‘March winds and April showers Bring forth May flowers’? At this rate May should be a bounty of blooms…Thinking forward to May and I start thinking about SATs. In school, KS2 children have been preparing for their SATs for awhile but as SATs week approaches (the week of 9 May), these preparations will increase. So, with the children working so hard at school to prepare how can we, as parents and carers, help to get them ready for this potentially stressful experience?
Here are a few tips for helping your child:
- Talk about the SATs and tell them not worry. The school is doing this, too, but it will be really meaningful coming from you.
- Keep everything ticking over normally. Dilute any feelings that SATs are stress-y and frighteningly important by sticking to a normal routine and keeping up regular out-of-school activities.
- Keep it in proportion. They’re just primary-school tests. Even if they mess up, it will not blight their life forever.
- Stay positive. You never know, your child might actually enjoy them!
So, with a bit of preparation now, through this cold and wet April, hopefully the SATs in May will go smoothly and the children will blossom from the experience…
