f your child is in Grade 4, they may be getting ready to write formal exams for the very first time. For many families, this can feel like a big and sometimes overwhelming milestone. But with the right support, exam time can be a positive learning experience that helps build your child’s confidence and resilience.
What Makes Grade 4 Exams Different?
Up until now, your child’s progress may have been assessed through classwork, informal tests, and projects. In Grade 4, learners are often introduced to formal exams in subjects like Mathematics, English, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences. This shift can feel intimidating, both for children and their parents.
But here’s the good news: you don’t have to face this alone, and neither does your child.
Helping Your Child Feel Ready
One of the best ways to reduce stress and ease your child into the exam process is by helping them feel prepared. Twinkl offers a wide range of tools and resources that make revision simple, structured, and even enjoyable.
Use Study Notes and Checklists
Twinkl’s ready-made study notes are a great way to know exactly what information has been covered in each section according to the curriculum. They help your child make sure they’ve covered all the topics they need to revise.
Practice with Past Papers
For many Grade 4 learners, the idea of a formal exam paper can be daunting simply because it’s new. Twinkl’s past papers and practice questions show learners what to expect in terms of format and question style. Practising with these in a calm, no-pressure way helps learners feel more familiar and less anxious when the real thing comes around. You can find practice papers here: https://www.twinkl.co.za/l/p0upw
Your Role as a Parent
Your support during this first exam experience is incredibly important. Here are a few simple ways you can help:
- Talk about it positively – Let your child know that exams are just a way to show what they’ve learned, not something to be afraid of.
- Stick to routines – A consistent bedtime, healthy meals, and daily playtime all contribute to a well-balanced child.
- Help set up a study space – A quiet, comfy corner for revision makes a big difference.
- Be encouraging – Praise effort, not just results. Your child needs to know you’re proud of how hard they’re trying.
It’s Just the Beginning
Remember, this is just the first step in your child’s exam journey. The goal isn’t perfection—it’s to learn how exams work, to try their best, and to feel supported along the way. With the help of Twinkl’s trusted resources and your ongoing encouragement, your Grade 4 child can face their first exams feeling prepared, proud, and ready to grow.
The company provides high quality, online learning materials and services, which are all teacher-created and checked.
Twinkl offers over 1 million resources, with new content added daily. This ranges from schemes of work and assessments to augmented reality games and much more.
Twinkl is used and trusted by schools and educators in over 200 countries and regions, including primary and secondary school teachers, nursery workers and parents.
Twinkl has over 1400 team members based in its two Sheffield offices and remotely around the globe, including a large team in South Africa.
More information can be found at twinkl.co.za
Our story:
The idea for Twinkl came to Jonathan and Susie Seaton when Susie was working as an Early Years teacher and couldn’t find the materials she needed for her lessons online. As a result, Susie was working evenings and weekends to make resources from scratch.
Speaking to colleagues and friends, the couple found that Susie was not alone in her situation. So, to help other teachers, they began creating and publishing educational resources online from their spare bedroom.
The business grew quickly and organically as educators embraced the high-quality materials. The team grew quickly too, with current and former teachers, as well as experts in content and design soon joining Jonathan and Susie in their mission 'to help those who teach.'
Jonathan and Susie are delighted that Twinkl is now taking this mission across the world, returning time and energy to educators that is better spent in the classroom with their pupils or on themselves at home.
