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As a parent, it’s natural to want your child to write clearly and confidently. You might notice their school assignments full of grammar mistakes—run-on sentences, missing capital letters, or confused spelling—and feel concerned. And we teachers feel the same way, especially at the start of each school year. You may have tried to give them intensive grammar exercises, hoping to “fix” these errors once and for all.

But here’s the truth: those traditional grammar activities don’t work—at least not the way we hope.

Research has shown that focusing too much on isolated grammar exercises—like worksheets or rule-based lessons—has little to no impact on how well students write. In some cases, it can even make things worse by turning writing into a chore instead of something meaningful.

In fact, teaching grammar in isolation—through worksheets, drills, or memorisation—has been shown to have no significant impact on improving student writing. In some cases, it can actually make writing worse, leading to boredom and disengagement.

So what does work?

As a parent, you play a powerful role in helping your child develop grammar skills—not by keeping them memorise rules, but by nurturing their reading and writing habits in real, engaging ways.

1. Read and Write Often — Not Just Study Grammar

The most effective way to improve grammar is through frequent reading and writing. The more children read books, articles, or even comics, the more they are exposed to correct sentence structures, punctuation, and vocabulary. Likewise, writing regularly—stories, journal entries, letters—gives them opportunities to practise those conventions naturally.

📝 What you can do at home:

Set aside 15–20 minutes a day for quiet reading.
Encourage your child to write freely in a notebook or keep a journal.

• Write stories together or respond to fun writing prompts. Make it an enjoyable activity—a chance to connect with your child, not a chore.

2. Focus on Grammar When It Matters

Instead of correcting every mistake in every sentence, focus on teachable moments when your child is already writing something meaningful. Maybe they’re writing a paragraph for school, or sending a birthday card. Use these opportunities to talk about common errors—like the difference between your and you’re, or where a comma might go.

📝 What you can do at home:

Gently point out grammar mistakes in your child’s writing and ask, “Want to fix this together?”
Keep a small notebook of “tricky words” your child often gets wrong.
Use fun tools like short YouTube videos or games that explain specific grammar rules when needed.

3. Personalise the Learning

Not all children need to review the same grammar rules. Some struggle with sentence punctuation, while others might mix up homophones. Instead of doing blanket grammar work, help your child focus on their individual needs.

📝 What you can do at home:

When you notice a consistent error (e.g., “there” vs “their”), find one short, clear lesson or video about that topic.
Keep it simple: 5–10 minutes of targeted practice can be more effective than an hour of worksheets.

4. Be Patient — It’s a Process

Even adults make grammar mistakes (scroll through social media and you’ll see!). So don’t expect perfection from your child. Grammar isn’t something to “fix” once and for all—it’s something learned gradually through exposure, practice, and thoughtful correction.

📝 What you can do at home:

Praise your child’s effort and growth, not just correct answers.
Let them know mistakes are part of learning.
Encourage a mindset of “editing and improving,” not just “getting it right.”

Helping your child with grammar doesn’t mean returning to worksheets. Instead, it’s about embedding grammar into real reading and writing, offering support when it’s meaningful, and recognising that growth takes time.

As parents, we can help build confident, thoughtful writers—not by policing their every mistake, but by creating a rich literacy environment and encouraging curiosity about language.

Looking for more help?
At Excel Withus Education, we support children’s literacy development through engaging, meaningful learning experiences that go beyond worksheets. In our English classes, students take part in novel reading, where they learn to analyse texts, explore characters, and build vocabulary in context. We focus on developing strong reading and writing habits, encouraging students to apply grammar and language skills in real situations. Whether your child needs help catching up or is ready to be extended, we tailor our support to meet their individual needs and foster a genuine love for language.

When we think about helping children improve their writing, it’s easy to focus only on spelling, grammar, and sentence structure. While these are important, writing is much more than just putting words on paper — it’s a powerful form of communication that connects us to the world around us.

At Excel Withus Education, we believe in the social model of writing, which sees writing as a purposeful, cultural, and social activity. This means that writing should be meaningful, shared, and connected to real-life experiences — not just a school task.

So how can parents support writing at home using this approach?

What is the Social Model of Writing?

The social model views writing as:

A way to communicate with others
Shaped by culture, context, and audience
Learned best when it’s meaningful, purposeful, and shared

This is different from the traditional “skills-based” model, which focuses mainly on grammar, punctuation, and handwriting. Instead of treating writing like a set of isolated drills, the social model encourages students to see writing as a tool to express ideas, tell stories, persuade others, and participate in their community.

How Parents Can Support Writing at Home

Here are some practical, everyday ways to help your child become a confident writer using the social model:

1. Create writing for real purposes

Encourage writing that feels useful and meaningful to your child:

Shopping lists
Letters or emails to family members
Birthday cards or thank-you notes
Writing instructions (e.g. “how to make my favourite sandwich”)

When children see that writing has a purpose, they become more engaged and motivated.

2. Talk about writing

Before your child writes, have a quick conversation:

Who are you writing to?
What do you want to say?
Why is it important?

This helps them understand audience and purpose, two key elements of effective writing.

3. Celebrate different types of writing

All writing counts — even if it’s not formal:

Jokes and riddles
Diary entries
Comic strips
Social media captions (for older students)

The more children write in different formats, the more flexible and confident they become as writers.

4. Model writing as a family

Let your child see you writing! Whether it’s a note to the teacher, a family planner, or a recipe, you’re showing them that writing is useful and valued in everyday life.

5. Connect reading and writing

Reading and writing are deeply connected. Talk to your child about what they read:

What did you like about the ending?
What would you change if you were the author?
Can you write a different version of this story?

These questions help build critical thinking and inspire creativity.

By supporting writing at home as a meaningful and social activity, you help your child see themselves as a real writer — someone with a voice, ideas, and something to say.

At Excel Withus Education, we integrate this social model of writing into our lessons. We encourage students to write with purpose, for real audiences, and in ways that connect to their lives.

Writing is not just a classroom skill — it’s a life skill.

As parents, you want to help your child succeed — especially when it comes to preparing for scholarship or Selective School entry exams. But did you know that understanding how your child’s brain processes and stores information can make your support even more effective?

One key concept is working memory. This is where all real-time thinking and mental processing happen. It’s the place where your child combines new information (like what they have learnt in today’s lesson) with what they already know (from past lessons), and uses both to solve problems or answer questions.

However, working memory has a limited capacity — research suggests most people can only juggle about four pieces of new information at once (Cowan, 2010). If we overload it, information can be lost or confused, making it harder to learn or recall under exam pressure.

Why working memory matters for exam preparation

Research shows that it’s not the number of times we see a fact that helps us remember it — it’s how deeply we process it. For example, a classic study found that students remembered words much better when they thought about meaning (like “Is a lion a mammal?”) rather than surface details (like “Is this word uppercase?”) (Craik & Tulving, 1975).

We can see this in action with Nick, a Year 5 student preparing for the Year 7 entry scholarship exams. Nick has already learned the concept of fractions and understands that a fraction represents “a part of a whole.” During practice, he encounters this question:

“Lisa used 3/8 of her pocket money on food and 2/8 on drinks. She decided to save the rest, which is $15. How much pocket money does Lisa have?”

If Nick relies only on surface-level recall of the word “fraction,” he may struggle. But when he engages in deeper processing—thinking about how to apply the fraction concept to the problem—he realises that Lisa has spent five eighths and saved three eighths, which equals $15.

By connecting his understanding of fractions to the specific details in the question, Nick can figure out one eighths here means 5 dollars, so total is $40.

This shows that meaningful learning — not just repetition — is the key to strong memory and recall.

Four stages of learning: from knowing to mastering

Effective exam preparation moves through four key stages:

Knowing → Recognising a concept or fact for the first time.
Understanding → Connecting the new concept to things they already know.
Using → Practising the concept in various situations.
Mastering → Applying it easily and automatically, even under pressure.

As students progress, the load on working memory reduces, freeing up brainpower to tackle more complex tasks (The Education Hub, n.d.).

How Excel Withus Education helps expand working memory

At Excel Withus Education, our programs support and strengthen students’ working memory at every stage of learning. Here’s how we do it:

1. Building a strong foundation in maths and English
Our topic based English and Math classes focus on deep understanding of core skills, not just surface knowledge. This ensures students have the background they need to build more advanced learning on top.

2. Weekly trial test sessions
Our regular practice under exam conditions helps students get used to time limits and question types, reducing anxiety and improving automatic recall during real exams.

3. Regular review with application questions
We frequently review previous topics using different types of application questions. This strengthens long-term memory, reduces procedural mistakes, and ensures students can confidently apply knowledge in new situations.

How parents can support exam preparation at home

Here are three practical ways you can help your child strengthen learning and working memory:

Encourage consistent, regular effort — small, steady practice daily is better than cramming at one time.
Focus on foundational skills — make sure they are confident with the basics before moving on.
Provide emotional support — help them feel safe and calm, and remind them that mistakes are part of learning.

Final thoughts

When students combine meaningful learning, repeated practice, and emotional support, they are much better prepared for exams. At Excel Withus Education, we are committed to helping your child not only succeed in their tests but also develop the thinking and learning skills they will use for life.

References

Craik, F. I. M., & Tulving, E. (1975). Depth of processing and the retention of words in episodic memory. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 104(3), 268–294. https://doi.org/10.1037/0096-3445.104.3.268

Cowan, N. (2010). The magical mystery four: How is working memory capacity limited, and why? Current Directions in Psychological Science, 19(1), 51–57. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721409359277

The Education Hub. (n.d.). Working memory and its role in teaching and learning. https://theeducationhub.org.nz/working-memory-and-its-role-in-teaching-and-learning/

At Excel Withus Education, we believe that a child’s learning journey goes far beyond textbooks and classroom lessons. While the formal curriculum focuses on key academic subjects like mathematics, science, and English, there is another important layer of education that often goes unseen: the hidden curriculum.

Understanding the hidden curriculum gives parents valuable insight into how schools influence students’ social development, mindset, and even future opportunities — often without explicitly teaching these lessons.

What Is the Hidden Curriculum?

The term hidden curriculum refers to the unspoken or implicit lessons, values, and expectations that students learn at school through culture, routines, and social interactions — rather than through formal teaching (Hogan, 2020). This might include lessons about punctuality, respect for authority, competitiveness, gender roles, or conformity to social norms.

For example, a classroom where only certain students are consistently asked to lead activities may unintentionally reinforce leadership stereotypes. Similarly, the way schools handle student behavior or reward systems can shape a child’s understanding of fairness, success, and self-worth.

Why Does the Hidden Curriculum Matter?

The hidden curriculum plays a powerful role in shaping a child’s worldview and social behavior. If left unchecked, it may reinforce harmful biases or limit the aspirations of certain groups of students. As Hogan (2020) points out, these implicit lessons can significantly affect students’ self-esteem and their perception of their place in society.

This issue connects closely with ongoing discussions about gender equality in education. For instance, Brown (2020) reports that girls are often encouraged to pursue humanities or social sciences, while boys are steered toward science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Such subtle influences can begin early in school life through both formal and hidden curricula.

Promoting STEM engagement among girls is particularly important, as STEM-related fields are projected to offer strong career opportunities in the future (Brown, 2020). Without addressing the hidden messages that shape subject choices and career aspirations, we risk limiting students’ potential from a young age.

What Can Parents Do?

Being aware of the hidden curriculum allows parents to better support their children’s holistic development. Here are some practical ways to engage:

Ask open-ended questions about your child’s school experience, including how they feel about participation, leadership roles, and peer interactions.
Encourage critical thinking by discussing social norms and expectations they observe at school.
Promote equality at home by exposing children to a range of activities and role models, especially in areas where gender or social stereotypes may exist.
Stay engaged with teachers and school leadership to understand how classroom dynamics and policies might be influencing students beyond the academic curriculum.

Moving Forward Together

At Excel Withus Education, we are committed to supporting not only academic success but also the personal growth of every student. By recognizing the role of the hidden curriculum, we can work together — educators and parents — to create learning environments that are inclusive, empowering, and inspiring.

Stay tuned to our blog for more insights into the Australian education system, learning strategies, and how to best support your child’s journey.

References

Brown, N. (2020, March 6). Girls told stick with STEM for jobs future. The Age. Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/docview/2372768495?accountid=14844

Hogan, M. (2020, March 5). The hidden curriculum in schools: The unwritten lessons students learn. The Conversation. Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/docview/2372768439?accountid=14844

Why Endless Grammar Exercises Don’t Work — And What You Can Do Instead

Writing Beyond the Classroom: Everyday Ways Parents Can Support with A Social Approach

Helping Your Child Prepare for Scholarship/Selective School Exams: Understanding the Power of Working Memory

Unveiling the Hidden Curriculum: What Every Parent Should Know

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