How Can I Find Fun Ways to Review School Lessons with My Child
When Learning Feels Like Pulling Teeth
Maybe you’ve been there. It's just after dinner, everyone's a little tired, and your child is dragging their feet at the mention of reviewing school lessons. You sit down together, armed with textbooks and good intentions, but within minutes it’s a power struggle. They fidget, they yawn. You sigh. No one’s enjoying this.
You're not alone. Many parents find themselves walking a tightrope between supporting their child academically and preserving peace at home. When learning feels like a chore, both you and your child lose out. But here's the twist: reviewing lessons doesn’t have to feel like school. It can feel like play. Yes—really.
Let Curiosity Lead, Not Correction
One of the biggest reasons kids resist review time is because they feel like they’re being tested, corrected, or judged. So start by shifting the tone from performance to curiosity. Instead of asking, "Do you remember what a fraction is?" try saying, "Do you think we could find any fractions hidden in the kitchen?" It’s amazing what happens when a child feels they’re exploring a world instead of bracing for a quiz.
Turn everyday routines into learning moments. Cooking becomes a math lab. A walk in the park sparks a science conversation about seasons or ecosystems. Suddenly, the mental barrier of “school stuff” comes down, because you're connecting facts to life.
Make Space for Their Playful Side
Kids learn best when they’re engaged—and nothing engages like play. I once worked with a child, 8 years old, who flat-out refused to write his spelling words every night. He hated sitting still. His mom, exhausted and at her wit’s end, was ready to give up. One evening, without announcing any new plan, she picked up sidewalk chalk and challenged him to a spelling-game race in the driveway. He jumped in without hesitation. They laughed, competed, and the words clicked. That moment transformed their evenings for the rest of the school year.
If your child loves storytelling, try crafting a comic strip about their lesson topic. If they're into movement, turn review time into a scavenger hunt. Hide vocabulary words or math facts around the house and let them find and solve them. Not only do they learn—it sticks.
Use What They Already Love
Start with their passions. Is your daughter obsessed with animals? Then review reading comprehension by writing a pretend wildlife documentary together. Is your son a Minecraft fan? Have him build a virtual model of an ancient civilization's architecture based on history class. When lessons become extensions of what already excites your child, learning no longer feels foreign—it becomes personal.
And if your child learns best through listening (as many do, especially kids with ADHD or processing differences), consider creating audio versions of their lessons. Some apps, like Skuli, let you turn written material into audio adventures where your child becomes the hero of the story—complete with their name and favorite characters. Imagine reviewing a science unit while your child saves the solar system with their knowledge of planets. That’s not homework. That’s magic.
Make Quizzing a Game, Not a Grind
Quizzes don’t need to be intimidating. When framed right, they feel like puzzles or challenges, not judgments. Instead of reviewing by rereading for the fifth time, sneak in a quiz disguised as a game show. You can write questions on index cards and let your child host a pretend TV show where you're the contestant. They love having the power—and they absorb the questions while reading them out loud.
If time is short and energy even shorter, you can also snap a photo of the school lesson and use an app to generate a custom 20-question quiz in seconds. One parent told me she uses these during dinner—she asks her daughter one question between bites. It’s casual, low pressure, and surprisingly effective. For deeper inspiration on this approach, check out our guide to using quizzes as a revision tool.
Pick Your Battles, Protect the Bond
Sometimes, despite your best efforts, your child will resist any format—including the fun ones. And that’s okay. In those moments, it’s more important to protect the parent-child bond than to push through another worksheet. Shorten the review. Offer choices: “Do you want to review math or science tonight?” Give them agency—it fuels engagement far more than coercion ever will.
Underlying many learning battles is a deeper issue—confidence. Kids who feel constantly behind or confused can learn to dread review time not because they’re lazy, but because they're afraid of failing. If that might be the case for your child, pause and read this article on handling those hard moments, or our more in-depth piece on how to rebuild learning confidence.
Fun Is the Gateway to Habit
The truth is, habits are built not with force, but with consistency and positive experiences. If you can help your child associate review time with laughter, creativity, or personal pride—even just once or twice a week—you’re laying the foundation for a long-term study habit. For more about shaping learning routines, you might find our article on turning studying into a habit worth a read.
And if you ever wonder how involved you should be during all this, it might be worth stepping back and reflecting on how to support your child without doing everything for them. As much as we want to help, building independence is a kind of help too.
It Doesn’t Have to Be Exhausting
Helping your child review lessons shouldn’t drain your energy or test your patience night after night. In fact, when you find ways to integrate joy, creativity, and a little playfulness, the review process can become something you both look forward to—even if just in small, meaningful moments. You’re not just reinforcing school material. You’re building connection, trust, and a lifelong love of learning.