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Top 10 NAPLAN Prep Tips Every Parent Should Know in 2026

By the Peakly Education Team • April 2026 • 6 min read

NAPLAN testing can feel stressful for both parents and students, but it does not have to be. The National Assessment Program — Literacy and Numeracy is designed to check how students are progressing in core skills, not to pass or fail them. With the right preparation, your child can walk into the test feeling calm and confident.

Here are ten practical tips that our Peakly tutors recommend to parents across Australia.

1. Start Preparation Early, But Keep It Light

Cramming the week before NAPLAN rarely works for primary or secondary students. Instead, build short daily practice sessions into your child's routine four to six weeks before the test window. Fifteen to twenty minutes a day is more effective than a two-hour weekend session because it keeps the material fresh without causing burnout.

2. Focus on Reading Comprehension Every Day

The reading component is often where students lose the most marks, not because they cannot read, but because they do not practise reading for meaning. Encourage your child to read a variety of texts: news articles, short stories, instruction manuals, and even the back of cereal boxes. After reading, ask them to summarise what they just read in their own words. This single habit builds the inference and comprehension skills that NAPLAN tests.

Good questions to ask after reading:

• What was the main idea of this text?
• Why do you think the author wrote this?
• Can you find a sentence that supports your answer?
• What does this word mean in context?

3. Practise Writing Under a Time Limit

NAPLAN writing tasks give students a set time to plan, draft, and write a response to a prompt. Many students run out of time because they spend too long thinking about what to write. Practise at home by giving your child a simple topic—like "Describe your perfect weekend" or "Should schools have uniforms?"—and setting a 30-minute timer. The goal is to build the habit of planning quickly (5 minutes) and writing fluently (25 minutes).

A simple writing structure that works:

1. Introduction: State your main idea or opinion in two to three sentences.
2. Body paragraph 1: Give your first reason or point with a supporting detail.
3. Body paragraph 2: Give your second reason or point with a supporting detail.
4. Conclusion: Restate your main idea and end with a strong closing sentence.

4. Make Numeracy Practice Hands-On

NAPLAN numeracy questions often involve real-world scenarios: reading timetables, calculating change, measuring lengths, and interpreting graphs. You can practise these skills naturally during everyday activities. Ask your child to help calculate the grocery bill, read a bus timetable, or measure ingredients while cooking. This contextual learning makes abstract maths concepts stick far better than worksheets alone.

5. Teach Time Management for the Test

One of the biggest reasons students underperform in NAPLAN is poor time management. They spend too long on difficult questions and then rush through (or skip) easier ones they would have answered correctly. Teach your child the "skip and return" strategy: if a question takes more than two minutes, mark it, move on, and come back to it at the end.

"The students who do best in NAPLAN are not always the smartest—they are the ones who manage their time well and do not panic when they hit a hard question." — Peakly Education Team

6. Use Official NAPLAN Practice Tests

The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) publishes official NAPLAN practice tests on the NAP website. These are the most accurate representation of what your child will face on test day. Work through at least two or three full practice tests before NAPLAN, focusing not just on the answers but on the types of questions that cause difficulty.

7. Address Specific Weak Areas

After completing a practice test, review the results together. Look for patterns: Does your child struggle with fractions? Spelling rules? Interpreting visual texts? Rather than practising everything equally, spend more time on the specific areas where marks are being lost. A targeted approach is far more efficient than general revision.

8. Keep the Emotional Temperature Low

Children pick up on parental anxiety. If you are stressed about NAPLAN, your child will be too. Frame the test as a normal part of school—not a make-or-break moment. Avoid phrases like "You need to do well on this" and instead use "Let's see how you go—you've been practising and you're ready." A calm, supportive attitude is the most powerful test prep tool you have.

9. Ensure Good Sleep and Nutrition During Test Week

This might sound basic, but it matters enormously. Research consistently shows that sleep quality directly affects cognitive performance in children. During NAPLAN week, aim for a consistent bedtime, limit screen time in the evening, and provide a nutritious breakfast on test mornings. A well-rested child will concentrate better, recall more, and manage stress more effectively.

10. Consider a Tutor for Targeted Gaps

If your child has persistent weaknesses in reading, writing, or numeracy that home practice is not fixing, a qualified tutor can make a significant difference in a short time. At Peakly, our tutors specialise in identifying exactly where a student is getting stuck and building targeted practice plans. Even four to six sessions before NAPLAN can shift a student from below-average to at or above the national benchmark.

Final Thoughts

NAPLAN is not a measure of your child's worth or intelligence. It is a snapshot of where they are with specific literacy and numeracy skills at a specific point in time. The best preparation combines regular, low-pressure practice with a supportive home environment. Focus on building skills rather than chasing scores, and the results will follow naturally.