How to use Bond books with your child
Michelle Williams is the Senior Publisher for the Bond range. She's also mum to two children.
If you are just beginning 11+ preparation with your child, or are simply trying to choose 11plus recommended reading books that will support learning at home, it can feel quite overwhelming and confusing when you see the sheer volume of resources on offer.
However, with Bond you just need to answer these three questions and you’re ready to go!
- Are you seeking practice or advice? For practice, our best-selling assessment papers are the best place to begin. For advice or 'how to' information, what about trying our How To Do guides or the essential Parent’s Guide to the 11+ as a starting point?
- How old is your child? Each book has the age it was designed for on the cover. 8 year olds should start on age 8-9 books, 9 year olds on 9-10. If these books are too tricky or too easy, we also have ‘Stretch’ assessment papers for those who are seeking a bit more of a challenge and ‘Up to Speed’ assessment papers for children needing more support.
- Which exam board? The format of 11+ tests can vary, depending on which exam board is setting the test (usually GL Assessment or CEM). Because of this, we offer differentiated products to support children more precisely in the question types used by specific exam boards.
To make choosing the right Bond book even easier, we've now developed our Bond Book Selector Quiz. Take the quiz >
Once you've got the right 11plus Bond books for your child, here are a few simple steps to help make sure your 11+ preparation gets off to the best start.
- Your involvement can make a huge difference. All Bond books can be used independently by children, with everything they need to complete them included within.
However, we would really recommend that you spend some time looking at questions together.
This will help to build their confidence, make the experience more enjoyable and allow you to see any areas of weakness that may need addressing. All Bond books include an answer section so, once you’ve marked their work, talk through answers, praising correct answers and effort, and working through any answers that have caused difficulty.
- Think carefully about the environment your child is working in. Is it quiet enough to allow them to concentrate? Is it free of distractions, such as games, phones/computers or noises that might discourage focus? Do they have enough light and space to work in?
- Is your child ready to learn? If they are tired, they may need some time to themselves to unwind, or to burn off excess energy. Similarly, if they’re hungry, they are likely to find concentrating on exercises more difficult.
- How much time should they spend on Bond books? This really depends on your child and what stage of preparation they are at. Very young children, for example, are likely to tire more easily, and so little and often is best. We would also advise that it is better for them to stop whilst they are still enthusiastic rather than continuing until they are exhausted.
For older children, or those who are approaching tests, it may be that longer sessions are needed. Try to ensure that this time is focused – if they’re already very strong in one topic or question type, use study time to build skills in areas that they’re finding more difficult. Perhaps create a timetable that takes into account how long before the test and map out the work they need to achieve before then.
- Try to make it fun. When working through Bond books with my own children, our favourite time to ‘do some Bond’ was just before bedtime reading, snuggled up together with me setting mini challenges. It was lovely ‘together-time’ with my children enjoying showing me what they could do and us puzzling through tricky questions together. The books include progress charts in the back, so each test ended with a mad scramble to see how their score compared to last time. As your child gets better, you can set them timed tests too, to try and encourage them to work accurately AND quickly.
Once you reach the end of a Bond book, our books include a Next Steps page on the inside back cover to guide you through what to do next:
Using the progress chart, your next book suggestion is decided by how well your child performed – if they have found the book quite straightforward or made great progress, and are achieving over 80% in their tests, they will be advanced on to a slightly more difficult book – perhaps a ‘Stretch’ title or moving up to the next age band.
If they have found the level of the activities quite tricky, you may be directed to an ‘Up to Speed’ title, to reinforce some basics and build understanding, or to one of our ‘How To Do…’ guides, to explain what particular question types are seeking, or methods for approaching them.
The Bond range is extensive, and as such it’s able to fully support you and your child at whatever stage of their learning journey they may be at, or whatever you’re using them for. Whether that’s achieving a place at a grammar school or simply supplementing school learning to help your child achieve their potential.
Michelle Williams
More from Bond
The 11+ Exam: A Parent's Guide
In this Bond 11+ Guide, we cover everything you need to know ahead of the tests, including the differences between exam boards, an easy-to-follow 12-month plan, exam preparation tips and much more.
For more resources for parents, including a free placement test, our Bond 11+ starter pack and answers for every Bond book, sign up to the Bond website.