Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, the holidays should be a time of family gathering, much-needed rest, and contemplation. But for many parents, it can also be a period of stress when it comes to helping their children with Christmas revision routines.
We’re here to help you tackle the pressure! It’s easier than you think to incorporate simple, manageable revision routines that can help young people stay on track without dampening the holiday spirit.
Here are some practical Christmas revision routines every parent can use to support their teenagers’ learning over the Christmas break.
5 tips for effective learning
Before diving into revision routines, it helps to remember what actually makes learning stick. Children learn best when:
- They revisit knowledge often rather than cramming (little and often works)
- Revision is broken into small chunks
- They actively use what they’ve learned (not just reread notes)
- They feel supported, calm, and encouraged
- Learning is linked to things they enjoy or their everyday experience
Create a flexible study schedule
Christmas is not the time for strict timetables that no one can stick to. Instead, build a flexible routine around your family’s plans.
Depending on your household rhythm, revision can happen:
- In one focused hour during a quiet morning
- Spread across small 10 to 20-minute sessions throughout the day
- As an evening wind-down routine
A good approach is to choose one core subject per day. For example, Maths on Monday, English on Tuesday, Science on Wednesday, and so on.
However, if you’re using a tutoring or teaching service during the holidays, our teachers know how to plan and prepare a balanced full-day of learning.
Make learning fun for Christmas revision routines
We know this isn’t always easy to do, but Christmas offers countless opportunities to make learning feel like a natural part of the holidays. Children and teens often remember more when learning feels like play.
You could try:
- Turning revision into a quiz with rewards
- Watching educational documentaries as a family activity
- Turn learning into short challenges, e.g.
- “Can you beat your last score in a 10-minute Maths drill?”
- “Explain this topic to me in under two minutes.”
- “How many quotes can you remember without looking?”
Use tech they already like to make studying feel less like homework:
- Quizlet for flashcards
- YouTube explainers or short revision videos
- GCSE podcasts during walks
The goal is to help them feel engaged rather than forced.
Use short and snappy revision techniques
Children concentrate better in short bursts, especially during the holidays. Effective, bite-sized methods include:
- Flashcards for quick recall
- Mind maps to summarise a topic
- Five-question mini quizzes
- “Explain it to me” sessions, where your child teaches you the topic
- Revision apps that turn learning into a game
These techniques strengthen memory without draining their energy or enthusiasm.
Encourage active recall and practice questions
Active recall, trying to remember information without looking, boosts learning more than rereading notes. You can help your child by:
- Asking them simple questions about a topic
- Covering their notes and getting them to repeat key points
- Printing short practice question sets
- Using past papers in small sections rather than all at once
This approach helps you both identify the strong vs weak areas of knowledge.
Keep sessions short and rewarding
Over Christmas, aim for focused sessions, followed by something enjoyable. At the end of the day, the holidays are meant to provide some much-needed rest before your child jumps back to academia at the start of the year.
Allow them time to do things non-study related. Their break could be whatever helps them reset, whether that’s scrolling for a bit, grabbing a snack, heading out for some fresh air, or hanging out with their friends.
It’s always better to work in short, sharp sessions rather than long, dragged-out ones that leave everyone drained.
Examples of revision routines
Below are a few examples of routines parents can implement during the holidays.
1. Morning momentum schedule
| Time | Activity |
| 8:30–8:45 | Warm-up (reading/flashcards/quiz) |
| 8:45–9:10 | Subject 1 (rotate daily) |
| 9:10–9:20 | Break |
| 9:20–9:45 | Subject 2 (target weak areas) |
Weekly Rotation:
- Mon – Maths & English
- Tue – Science & Reading
- Wed – Maths & Writing
- Thu – Science & Humanities
- Fri – Mixed topics + quiz
2. Sprinkled throughout the day schedule
| Time | Activity |
| 10:00–10:10 | Flashcards or vocab |
| 12:00–12:15 | Quick topic review |
| 3:00–3:20 | Main revision session |
| 6:00–6:10 | End-of-day recap |
Weekly Focus:
- Mon – English
- Tue – Maths
- Wed – Science
- Thu – Reading
- Fri – Mixed
- Weekend – Light festive learning
3. Evening wind-down schedule
| Time | Activity |
| 4:30–4:45 | Calm start (reading/notes) |
| 4:45–5:10 | Core subject session |
| 5:10–5:20 | Break |
| 5:20–5:40 | Practice questions or creative task |
| Bedtime | Quick review (3 things learned) |
Weekly Focus:
- Mon – Maths
- Tue – English
- Wed – Science
- Thu – Humanities/Languages
- Fri – Review + quiz
When official tutoring may be the right option
While at-home revision works well for many families, some students benefit from structured, professional support, especially if they are preparing for important exams, have fallen behind in a key subject, need confidence-building, or thrive in a full-day learning environment.
Here at Excel in Key Subjects, we offer official, full-day tutoring sessions led by experienced tutors.
These sessions provide a planned curriculum, targeted subject mastery, expert guidance, and consistent support throughout the day, making them ideal for students who need a more intensive academic reset than parent-led revision can provide.
Don’t forget to have a break
Don’t forget…rest is not a luxury during revision, it’s essential. Breaks help the brain store new information and prevent burnout. Make sure your child has time to relax, socialise, enjoy Christmas traditions, and sleep well. We all know that a well-rested child learns better.
If your child has just had their mocks, this is always a good time for some reflection on their exam experience. I’m sure we can all relate to the anxiety of waiting for results, but it’s good to remind your child that they cannot change what has already happened.
At the end of the day, their performance is not final, and mocks are designed to show teachers and students what to focus on next. What matters is how they respond, not the number on the paper.
What’s most important during the festive holidays is enjoying time as a family and getting some rest – so that everyone feels refreshed in the New Year!