With the new school year beginning, many parents are wondering how best to help their child be successful in school. Experts suggest helping children develop good study habits is one of the best methods. While studying is likely not your child’s most favorite pastime, it is essential to their academic success. The habits and work skills they develop now will not only impact their school career, but also their adult life as they will use these same skills in college and/or the workforce. Here are a few of the best ways to develop healthy, strong study skills that will serve your child well throughout their lives.

Create a Study Zone at Home

Designate a specific area for homework and studying. A dedicated study space actually makes our brains more able to focus and use our time wisely. This location should be comfortable and free of distractions, such as cell phones. Stock the study space with the appropriate school supplies your teen needs and a good dictionary, which is an essential study tool and reduces the chance they get distracted while looking words up on the Internet. Some teens need absolute quiet when doing homework, while others work better with soft music. Contrary to the opinions of many teens, studies consistently show that loud music and/or TV are highly distracting to students.

Identify Methods that Work

Every student is an individual and has their own unique way of learning. Children often need help in identifying what study methods work best for them. Do they comprehend better when they can see it visually or when they hear it? Do they need to focus and sit still or move around? Are they engaged when it’s quiet or are they a social learner. Tailoring your child’s study habits to their particular learning style will help them be more effective. Here are some examples:

• Visual learners
  • Use colored pens or highlighters for different types of information or concepts.
  • Create a visual representation of things to remember, such as timelines, charts, or even a stick figure drawing.
  • Form mental images to help you remember concepts.
• Audio learners
  • Record lectures to play back.
  • Talk through concepts with a parent or study partner.
  • Put important information on flashcards and repeat it out loud.
• Kinesthetic learners
  • While you study, move around the room, bounce a ball, tap a pencil, wiggle a leg, fiddle with a fidget spinner, or squeeze a stress ball.
  • If you have to sit still and/or focus, take a break every 20 minutes to stretch or move.
  • Create hand or body motions that somehow represent or connect concepts.
• Logical learners
  • Ask questions to form comprehension instead of just memorizing facts.
  • Reframe big ideas in your own words.
  • Find patterns across study materials, perhaps with diagrams.
• Social and/or Verbal learners
  • Gather a classmate, tutor, or study group to discuss the concepts and go over materials.
  • Pretend you’re teaching someone else to remember facts or break down tricky concepts.
  • Use rhymes, acronyms or short stories to aid in memorization.

Remove Barriers to Follow-Through

Studying and completing homework is actually just one step in a larger process. In order for homework to be completed, your teen must take all of the following steps: write down every assignment given at school, understand what the teacher wants, remember to check the list of assignments at home, actually complete the assignment on time, and finally remember to bring the assignment back to school.  If your child is not having success in the studying / homework process, first determine where the breakdown is occurring in the process so that you can find a proper solution. For example, designating a time for homework does not help them become more successful if they are just forgetting what assignments they have to do. In that case, a planner would be a better solution.

Establish a Regular Study Time

Determining a consistent and specific time to do homework has been shown to increase academic success. Talk to your teen about their study style and suggest they pick a time that they believe would work best for them. Ask if they prefer to crack the books as soon as they get home to get it out of the way, or to take a break and study after dinner. (Note, it needs to be their preference, not yours.) Additionally, students should schedule breaks into their study schedule. Every 30 minutes to an hour (or whenever they feel frustrated or angry) they should get up and walk around, stretch, get a snack, and let their brain rest.

Suggest Strategies for Reading Textbooks

Explain to your teen that note taking is one of the best ways to keep their mind focused while reading a textbook. Emphasize that they should not write down every word the book says. Instead, they should pick a method that works with their learning style to better understand what they are reading, such as: summarize what they read in their own words after each section; make flashcards for quick review of key terms, dates, formulas, and/or important facts; use different colors with highlighter or pens to organize information; and/or develop acronyms to help them remembers things as they go.

Teach Time Management Skills

Time management is an important skill that empowers us to take control of our schedule and make the most of our day-to-day activities. Getting the hang of time management takes practice, but it’s a skill well worth mastering. It’ll serve your child well not only during the busy teen years, but for the rest of their life. Teach your child the process of planning, organizing, prioritizing, and controlling their schedule to maximize productivity and minimize wasted hours. Explain how to break big projects down into smaller steps, prioritize tasks, and allocate specific time blocks for each activity. To get much more specific information on this topic, please read our previous blog, Developing Good Time Management Skills in Teens.

Establish Expectations

There are lots of benefits to establishing a clear set of rules when it comes to homework. Developing some expectations between students and parents can reduce arguments and tension in the household. Some areas you may want to discuss are:

• If and how will your teen keep you informed of due dates,
• Under what circumstances will you assist your teen with a project (yes to checking a math problem, no to writing complete paragraphs in their essay), and
• what time of night will be the homework deadline.

You should also establish consequences if they don’t complete assignments. Nagging and lecturing – although tempting parenting techniques – are never effective and usually harm your relationship. Bribing your teen to get work done can sometimes work in the short run, but quickly loses its appeal to your child and can actually instill a “what’s in it for me” attitude. Threatening a consequence that you will never follow-through on will only reinforce the negative behavior. Pick a consequence that feels motivating and enforceable, such as confiscating all electronic devices until the work is completed.

Final Thoughts…

Studying is not an intuitive skill that students just know. Parents should use their role to coach their teen to become a more effective student. While homework is often dreaded by all teens, you can provide knowledge in study skills, as well as encouragement, support, and empathy.