Study Habits for the New Year

The school day is already long, and many children are not getting enough sleep. Add in extra after-school activities, and it’s easy to understand why shutting off their brain is often their number one priority. Some children find it more difficult than others to crack a book open when they get home; even children who find the time to sit down and study may struggle with using this time well. Watching your child struggle with school work is difficult and you may not know how to help. Here are some study habits to help your child thrive during their study sessions.

1. Set a fixed time to study. Most kids don’t just head straight home after school with a free evening. Usually, there’s sports or band practice, plus dinner and family time to fit in. Scheduling study time may be the only way to ensure it gets completed, so sit down with your child and schedule this time together. Set a start and end time, and include study breaks, then help them stick to their new schedule. Things may come up, so be flexible when needed, but keep study hours a priority.

2. Prioritize frequent exercise and getting enough sleep. These are easy to overlook, but so important for student success. Daily exercise will keep the brain active, so during study breaks or before and after study sessions, encourage your child to get outside. Let them run around and get out some of that pent-up energy! If they’re coming from a sports practice and are already wiped out, suggest a quick meditation or calming activity to help with the transition from home to focused study time.

3. Eliminate distractions. Focus and concentration are needed to complete any project well, and that often means eliminating distractions. This is important for every student, but especially if your child is one of many students diagnosed with ADHD. And the most common distraction for students? Their mobile devices. Designate a place outside of their study area to stash their phone or tablet during study time. If they need their phone’s calculator, try setting it to airplane mode to disable talk and text.

4. Give regular praise. You sat down together, planned a schedule, and they’ve stuck to it. Amazing! Let them know that you notice all of their hard work. Positive parenting and celebrating their wins (both big and small) may be just the encouragement they need to keep it up. Make sure to celebrate effort over outcome, to show your child that trying is the most important thing.

5. Set regular but short breaks. Sitting and studying for an hour straight without taking brain breaks will likely produce poor results. Instead, make sure your child takes breaks during study time to refresh their brain. Many professionals use the Pomodoro Technique to increase productivity — working for 25 minutes, then taking a five-minute break. This is a great place to start when planning study breaks as well.

6. Designate fixed studying and school work areas. During the pandemic, everyone spruced up their home offices, and for good reason! It’s easier to focus and stay productive when you’re in a space you enjoy, and it’s the same for your child. The kitchen table can be a great space for younger children to work, but as your child moves into middle and high school, they may need a desk they can customize and settle into. One that is away from the distractions of the main living areas is most helpful. When their study space fits their style, they’re more likely enjoy using it.

7. Plan in advance. Planning ahead is a strategy for success in everyday life. There are only 24 hours in a day, so you need to maximize that time and don’t wait until the last minute to cram. If a test is coming up on Friday, encourage your child to start reviewing on Monday. Break down the material into manageable chunks and tackle it one day at a time. Add these details into the study schedule for the week. If they can think beyond tomorrow, they’ll save themselves a lot of stress — both in the immediate future and in their adult lives.

8. Give regular praise. You sat down together, planned a study habits schedule, and they’ve stuck to it. Amazing! Let them know that you notice all of their hard work. Positive parenting and celebrating their wins (both big and small) may be just the encouragement they need to keep it up. Make sure to celebrate effort over outcome, to show your child that trying is the most important thing.

9. Try alternatives to reading. Reading back through notes and textbooks can become tedious. There’s only so much time your child can focus before their eyes start to glaze over, so if your child struggles during studying, try other methods, like these:

• Work together to design flashcards for vocabulary words
• Search for an online video explaining the subject in a new way
• Ask them to draw a picture or diagram to illustrate science concepts
• Find an interesting audiobook or podcast about the topic they’re studying

10. Reassess on a regular basis. Strong study habits don’t develop overnight. It may be time for another sit-down and planning discussion with your child. Are they still not finding the time to study? Try a different schedule. Are test scores not improving? Ask about their understanding of the material, or if anything is affecting their study time. Problem-solve together and try again. Even when things are working well, it’s a good idea to check in.

Developing good study habits can be tough, and your child needs your help to succeed. One more way to help — use this time to study as well! Take time to dive into topics you’ve always wanted to learn and study alongside your child. Read a new book, learn a foreign language or get ahead of tomorrow’s work. Studying with your child can model good habits and improve their view on learning. Learning really is a lifelong pursuit–you just have to take the time for it.

Allison Green
Boston Tutoring Services