Eleven Tips to Help Children Study

When it comes to study-time and study organization, there are certain crucial practices that can help make life easier on every member of the family. That being said, some of them could require other members of the family adjusting a little. 

1. Television 

The TV set should be turned off, depending on the location of your TV set; it should be a house rule that during study time, there is not TV time. Like bees to honey, youngsters will be drawn to a TV set. 

2. Radio and Other Audio Devices 

When it comes to other devices such as the radio, should they be left on or off? Well contrary to what many specialists believe, there are youngsters who do work ok when the radio is turned on to a station that plays their favorite music. Depending on your homes or apartments layout, it may be smart to invest in some earphones. 

3. Phone 

During study hours there need to be certain rules set on the subject of family phone use. The more people in a household, the more amounts of restrictions are needed on unnecessary or long phone calls. You can help to control the length of calls nu placing a timer next to the phone, this way if it is necessary to call a class mat in regards to discuss a certain difficult homework or confirming an assignment, it will be available. 

3. Designated Study Areas 

There should be specific areas that are designated for studying and homework. This could possibly be the dining room or kitchen table, a child's room, etc. It is important that distractions be minimal suggests James Goldsmith of 11plustutorsinessex. Due to the fact that many children will study in their own room, function in a room is more important than aesthetics. There is generally not enough space on a desk to spread out all materials, with a table all necessary supplies such as books, paper, pens, and pencils as well as other essentials fit perfectly fine. 

4. Useful Materials 

If your child studies in their room, consider placing a bulletin board there. You can usually find wallboard at your local hardware store, it may not look very pretty as it is not framed, however, it is inexpensive to purchase a 4X3 section and it is perfect for your child's most pertinent school items. 

You could cover it with a burlap or paint it so that it looks prettier, this may even be a fun project for your child. Also, encourage your child to use a small pad or notebook to write down assignments, this way when certain assignments are meant to be turned into the teacher, there is no confusion. It is also important to keep general supplies on hand, ask your child what he or she needs and make it their responsibility to make sure that there is always a good supply of notebook paper, notepads, paper, pencils, etc. 

5. Consistency 

When it comes to academic success, consistency is key. Make sure that the household is organized so that you serve supper at the standard time, and once supper and family discussions are over, it is time to put those noses in those books. If your child has no other commitments and arrives home from school at a reasonably early time, there can be some homework done prior to supper time. 

6. Designate a Time Frame 

When deciding on the amount of time designated for homework, take your child's developmental level into consideration. There are high school students who can easily focus for an hour or more, however, a first grader will probably not last more than fifteen minutes on one task. Make sure your child is able to take breaks; you could even offer it as a reward after finishing a certain section of homework. 

7. Organization 

Homework and study projects must be organized. Purchase a large calendar that has enough space in the daily boxes to jot down activities. Separate it so that you and your child will be able to mount school months sequentially for the currents semester. For example, you can remove Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec., and Jan., and place them up from left to right across one wall. With a color felt tip pen, have your child mark upcoming reports in one color and exam dates in another color etc. This will help you both remember and avoid leaving this to the last precarious moment. 

8. The Importance of Studying 

Teach your child that studying is not only about completing homework assignments. An aspect of school work which is highly misunderstood is the difference between completing homework assignments and studying. Your child should be encouraged to do things such as: 

• Learn how to skim material 
• Learn to use his or her own words to summarize what has been read. 
• As he or she is reading a chapter, take notes 
• Learn to study charts and tables 
• Learn how to make flashcards to quickly review formulas, dates, spelling words, etc. 
• Ensure children know what they’re working on by making them relevant – this piece from Capita Education is a good one on the subject. 

9. Note-Taking 

A critical skill that should definitely be developed is note-taking. There are many students who do not even know how to take notes in the classes which require note-taking. Some feel as if every word the teacher says must be written down. There are however others who do realize how valuable note-taking is. Teachers who are properly prepared will present their materials using formats that are outlined for note taking. 

Now the question is, should your ever rewrite notes? There are cases in which they should be rewritten, particularly if ample material was covered and the child had to write quickly yet lacks organization and speed. It takes time to rewrite notes; however, it is a great way to review the subject. 

10. Home Dictionary 

It is essential to have a home dictionary; however, it will do nobody any good if it is simply left on a shelf to gather dust. Keep it somewhere that is accessible for your child and allow your child to see you refer to it from time to time. If you keep the family dictionary in the living room yet your child uses their room to study, purchase and inexpensive dictionary that will be solely for your child's use. The ability to alphabetize dictates the proper use of encyclopedias and dictionaries as well as organizational skills. Spend time alphabetizing names of family members, spelling words, or names of some favorite toys, this makes for ideal practicing. 

11. Build Confidence 

Help build your child's confidence with test-taking. For some students, test taking can be a traumatic experience. Explain to you child that it is not productive to cram and burn that midnight oil. It is better to really get a good night's sleep. It is also important to remind your child that when taking a test, they should carefully and thoroughly read the instructions before they begin to haphazardly mark their test paper. You should also advise your child to skip over questions that they know the answers to. If there is time, they can return to those. Great advice to provide any student prior to taking a test is to relax, take a deep breath and then dive in. Also always carry an extra pencil, just in case.

There are many ways to learn faster to help your child study. With a little extra effort and training, your little geniuses will become learning machines!