5 Fun, Low-Stress Ways to Build 11+ Skills Over the Easter Holidays

The Easter holidays are here, giving your child a well-deserved chance to rest, recharge and enjoy time at home with family. But this can also be a great time to strengthen key 11+ skills in ways that feel relaxed and full of Easter fun.

Here are some simple activities to help keep your children’s mind active over the Easter break, without piling on pressure:

1. Organise an 11+ Easter Egg Hunt Challenge

Turn a traditional Easter Egg Hunt into a mini 11+ challenge. Write quick 11+ practice questions onto paper egg cutouts and hide them around your home or garden. Bond 11+ 10 Minute Tests are perfect for pulling quick questions from.

2. Create a Reading Nook

Encourage daily reading throughout the holidays by setting up a cosy reading nook, with blankets, fairy lights, and a basket of books. Reading strengthens comprehension, vocabulary, spelling, and concentration - all skills that are essential for passing the 11+.

Not sure what books to give your child? The Oxford Children’s Classics are perfect for children age 9-12 and are packed with bonus materials including insights into the stories, facts, and activities, perfect for aiding comprehension.

3. Take 11+ Puzzle Books on Long Journeys

Easter holidays are often full of outings and journeys to visit family and friends. Make the most of the travel time by keeping your child busy with Bond’s Brain Training Puzzle Books. These little books are a portable, fun, and engaging way for your child to practice 11+ skills with three to choose from: Number Puzzles, Logic Puzzles, and Word Puzzles.

4. Easter Baking = Maths Practice in Disguise

Baking is a great way to build core maths skills, and Easter is a great time to rustle up some hot cross buns, carrot cake or chocolate nests. Use baking as a way to practice measurement, ratios, time and temperature. For an added challenge, try having your child scale up or scale down the recipe!

5. Set Easy, Achievable Goals

Keep things manageable for your child by setting two or three achievable goals for the holiday so that they don’t become overwhelmed. For example:

●       Completing three Bond 10-Minute Tests

●       Reading every day for 20 minutes

●       Learning five new words per week from the Bond Vocabulary Flashcards

Easter doesn’t have to be a time of intensive study, but with a balance of rest, fun and skill-building activities that children can enjoy, the holidays can still be a great opportunity to strengthen the core skills your child needs to pass the 11+ exam.

Bond is here to support your journey with high-quality, confidence-building resources for children of all ages and stages - for whatever pace you want to go at this Spring.