How do I know if my child needs private classes during summer?

Sometimes we confuse the fact that our child gets low marks with poor performance. We don't know everything that may be influencing his or her environment. First of all, communicate with them, ask them. Communication is one of the most important parts of solving low marks, although it is also often helpful to use a private tutor.    

How to spot if your child needs tutoring this summer?

A person is very variable, indeed constantly changing. Children do not yet have a firmly formed personality and many events can lead to underachievement. We have different ways of detecting this in order to avoid it. 

• The tutor detects it: at the time giving out reports, teachers usually express the subjects that the child needs extra support with.
• If the child has failed a subject, this is clearly a sign that extra help is needed. If the child has not failed any subjects, see which subjects should be kept in line. Look back at previous school reports to see which grades have been improving or declining over time.
• Lack of habit or interest in studying: If your child does not have a study routine, it is likely that they’re not motivated to study. Talk to them, ask them what they like and what they want to do.

• Detect it from the child: Ask them which subjects motivate them the most. Sometimes it is not the subject itself, but the tutor who motivates children the most. Communicate with your child and let them explain what they think of their teachers.
• Social environment: Many children who perform poorly academically are influenced by personal factors. Their friends may be distracting them or personal issues may be affecting their ability to focus.
• Academic pressure: Poor grades can also be due to nerves. In this instance, they need to feel confident in exams, and there is no better way to feel confident than with the help of a private tutor.

Find a summer tutor now

What kind of revision classes does your child need in summer?

Depending on the family, one type of revision or another is chosen. There are two types of reinforcement, either all subjects are reinforced equally, or the student waits for the report card to detect which are the weakest.

• Avoid the option of "classes for everything": This is because they will be reinforcing knowledge that the child can have independently in the classes. If we do revision classes for all subject, they may not feel that summer is a "school break" and may become saturated.
• Spot the subjects where your child is weak: During termtime they may have already shown signs of weakness in that weakest subject. Talk to your child.
• Keep those subjects that are difficult for them fresh: Even if they have not failed them, there are always a couple of subjects that are more difficult for them, such as science or languages. Private tuition is ideal so that they don't lose that base and take it as an extracurricular activity.
• Change of learning approach: There are teachers who are incompatible with the way some children learn. In subjects such as mathematics, they may only need a change in the way they explain certain formulas.

Do you unlearn in the summer?

It is not unlearned, but it is untrained. When children return from the summer, they tend to need between two weeks and 20 days to brush up on the previous year. This can mean that if the tutor does not consider it necessary to go over last year’s subjects, they might forget what they’ve learnt previously,

• Summer plan: You can set up a timetable between the two of you, much lighter than that of the teaching classes, as the aim is to review what you have already learnt without making it look like a conventional class.
• New ways of learning: blackboards, chalk, timetables... It is normal for a child to become saturated with routine and pressure at school. Look for ways to learn that don't feel like an obligation, such as games or activities that lead to a reward.
• Classes with classmates or friends: If children are in a group context, they will make better use of their time, and they will not see learning as a duty but as something more didactic.
• It should not be approached as a punishment: If the child needs revision classes because he/she has failed and not to revise, it should not be approached in a negative context. We should not section children who have less than a five in a subject, it should be approached as a more intense revision.
• Tip: It is very important that your child does not perceive revision classes as a negative aspect. It could lower their confidence and self-esteem, and they will not feel motivated in those subjects.

How to find summer classes

You probably know a neighbour, a niece or nephew, or an acquaintance who gives private tuition. If this is not the case, here is the solution.

• FindTutors: If you need extra tuition, you can find a tutor either online or face-to-face. If you have no way to travel, you can also find tutors at home, willing to come to your house. Find the tutor you need.
• Classgap: It offers you to learn from home, at your own pace and with an online tutor. The online tuition they offer is second to none to face-to-face classes.
• Advertisements: Look at the walls in your neighbourhood. There is bound to be a paper advertisement, with telephone strips hanging on the wall. This can be a good option for face-to-face study, because if the advert is in your neighbourhood, so is the tutor.

Are summer classes worth it?

Summer schools are not only a way to reinforce the subjects your child is struggling with. They are a way to have fun learning and to keep busy during the summer. Your child will stay active both physically and mentally.

• The tutors recommend it: We have a misconception about summer schools: they serve more than just to reinforce subjects. The tutors recommend them so that they don't forget the basics of the previous year and to forge social relationships.
• New friends: This is the most fun part. I still remember the summer camps, where in the mornings we learned English and in the afternoons we played with the monitors. It is a very fun way for them to learn and for them to develop their social skills.
• Other methods do not work: If your child is tired of going to school one reason may be due to incompatibility between the way they are taught and the way they learn. In summer schools you can find a new method.
• Reinforce a couple of subjects: It never hurts to raise the average grade at school a little. If they can have fun learning, let them learn.
• Disconnect from each other: A learning camp is like a holiday for them. If, on the other hand, your child is receiving revision classes in the form of a routine, they will also see this as a positive thing, as it will force them to be away from home all day.

Face-to-face classes or online tuition for the summer?

This factor depends on the resources of each family. If the family does not have a computer at home, the classes will most likely have to be given in person. On the other hand, if they cannot bring their child to the classes, they will have to be taught online.

If you do not have any of these facilities, in FindTutors you can find tutors willing to come to your home.

• Home tuition: If, on the other hand, you have an office or a suitable place where the lessons take place, you can find tutors online at FindTutors who are willing to travel to your home.
• Online tuition: If your child prefers to take lessons as if they were a tutorial, online tuition is the best option for them. This is the best option if you don't want to meet face-to-face with someone you don't trust and you have a device and wifi.
• Face-to-face classes: Face-to-face classes are the best option if your child wants to leave home. They will disconnect from home, and separate learning from free time.

Home learning games

This step is very useful to review the knowledge you have already learned. In this way, the objective of the game will not be taken as a learning process, but the game will be perceived as a game because as many people as possible will be involved.

• Water balloons: Since it is summer, this game will be very well received by all participants. It's as easy as blowing up the water balloon for the one who doesn't get a general answer question right. You just need to prepare a set of random cards with 4 possible answers.
• To reinforce maths: Create an environment where they can do quick mental arithmetic. You can also introduce operations questions (among other typologies that don't just look like a maths game).
• Hot potato: This game can be used in any subject, to distinguish synonyms from antonyms, to improve semantic fields, quick sums, capitals and provinces... You simply pass the hot potato among yourselves (which can be a ball, a water balloon...), if the timer reaches 0 before answering, it explodes.
• Geography: This subject is very flexible for games. You can either create a map and paste in the names of countries and capitals, or you can ask a series of random questions. If you want maps and you can't create them, there is a website called Didactalia with lots of interactive maps.
• Flour: The idea is that every time a family member or friend answers a general culture question incorrectly, they get a flouring. You can mix school questions with other categories such as cinema, so it will be more dynamic.
• Trivia type, review a bit of everything: With all the questions from the previous mini-games you can create a macro-game. The methodology will be similar to the trivia game, but in this case they can be in a homemade format, with sweets, or if you prefer, with different real cheeses!

After detecting the educational deficiencies, we have to ask ourselves whether it is really the fault of the type of teaching they receive or a lack of interest in the subject. There are a thousand methods by which a child can learn, we just need to find the right tutor for each one.