Your child has made a stack of revision cards. The fronts name topics; the backs contain paragraphs copied from their notes. Where should you begin when they ask you to quiz them?
Start by looking at the question on one card. Does it tell your child what to do? Could they answer it before turning the card over? And does the back give you both a clear way to check the response?
Here is a practical activity you can try together: make a small set of cards about one familiar Math idea. The examples below use the perimeter of a rectangle. Choose content your child has already been taught and check it against their school notes.
Choose one idea and three kinds of question
A card headed “Perimeter” leaves the task open. A card asking “What does perimeter measure?” gives your child a specific starting point. A definition is useful, but you can also ask for a reason or a calculation.
The Institute of Education Sciences practice guide on organising study recommends active retrieval, explanatory questions and spreading learning over time. The card activity here is our own practical suggestion for using those principles at home. It has not been evaluated as a separate programme, and it does not promise a particular result.
Try these three jobs: recall an idea, explain it, then use it. You can put each question on a separate card so your child knows which job they are attempting.
| Card front | What to put on the back |
|---|---|
| Recall: What does the perimeter of a shape measure? | The distance around its boundary. It is a length, so use a length unit such as centimetres when appropriate. |
| Explain: A rectangle is 5 cm long and 3 cm wide. Why is 5 + 3 not its whole perimeter? | That adds only two adjacent sides. There are two 5 cm sides and two 3 cm sides: 5 + 3 + 5 + 3 = 16 cm. |
| Apply: A rectangle is 7 cm long and 4 cm wide. Find its perimeter. Show your working and unit. | 7 + 4 + 7 + 4 = 22 cm, or 2 × (7 + 4) = 22 cm. |
A rectangle’s perimeter is twice its length plus twice its width, as shown in the OpenStax geometry reference. Our numbers and card questions are original examples.
Make the answer useful for checking
For the explanation card, “16 cm” alone does not answer why. Write the reason on the back as well as the calculation. Otherwise, you may end up accepting a correct number when the intended task was to explain the sides being counted.
Your child can draw a rectangle and point to each side as they explain. If they use different wording from the card, compare the meaning. “All the way round the edge” may express the idea clearly. A practice card does not need to become a script recited word for word.
Keep the question focused. “Explain everything about perimeter and area” asks for too much at once. If you cannot agree what would count as a complete answer, narrow the question before adding it to the set.
Use the card before looking at its answer
- Show the question side. Give your child room to write, sketch or speak their answer. Keep the answer side covered while they try.
- Compare together. Turn the card over and identify what matches, what is missing and what needs correcting. Check uncertainties against their notes or with the teacher.
- Record the next step. A short note such as “count all four sides” is more useful than a general judgement about being good or bad at Math.
- Revisit later. Bring the question back in a later session. Being able to repeat the back immediately after reading it tells you less about what your child can recall after a gap.
If your child cannot begin, pause the quiz and return to a worked example together. You can then use one small hint at a time. Once you supply a hint, record that help honestly; an answer completed with support is a useful step, but it is different evidence from an independent attempt.
Try one changed question
New practice card: A rectangle is 9 cm long and 2 cm wide. Someone writes, “Its perimeter is 11 cm because 9 + 2 = 11.” What has been left out? Write a corrected calculation.
Let your child attempt it before opening the answer.
Open the suggested answer
The other 9 cm side and the other 2 cm side have been left out. The perimeter is 9 + 2 + 9 + 2 = 22 cm. An equivalent calculation is 2 × (9 + 2) = 22 cm.
This rectangle and the 7 cm by 4 cm rectangle have the same perimeter, even though their side lengths differ.
This changed question gives you another piece of evidence about the same idea. It does not establish mastery of every perimeter problem. Your child still needs opportunities to interpret diagrams, choose methods and work through longer questions appropriate to their lessons.
Keep the parent’s role manageable
Let your child choose the topic and draft the questions. You can help by asking, “What would a complete answer include?” and “Where can we check that?” Start with a small set that you can review accurately together.
Finish by choosing one card to revisit and one question to ask the teacher if something remains unclear. The useful outcome is a clearer next step, not a larger pile of cards.
For a separate checking routine, see three ways to check a Math answer. If you are exploring additional support, browse Genie’s Primary Math programmes.
Source note: Reviewed on 19 October 2026. The IES guide supports the broad study principles described above; OpenStax was used to check the rectangle formula. The card sequence, examples and parent prompts are Genie’s own suggestions. They are not an official examination method or a claim about what a particular cohort must study.