The Critical Summer: How to Use the Year 5 Holidays Without Ruining Them — Selective online practice for the NSW exam

The Danger Zone The summer holidays before Year 6 (December/January) are critical. If you do nothing, your child forgets skills. If you do too much, they burn out before the test in May.

The "Maintenance" Strategy Morning: 1 hour of work. Maybe one writing piece or 20 maths questions. Rest of the Day: Freedom. Swimming, gaming, playing.

Incidental Learning: Watch the news together (Great for "General Knowledge" and vocabulary). Read a book together (Read one chapter, then ask them to predict what happens next—this practices Inference).

The Goal Keep the engine running warm, but don't red-line it. You want them peaking in May, not January.