Back to School - Fostering Good Study Habits in Your Child

All members of the family must be involved in order to foster good study habits in your child. To enhance your child's concentration and structuring of assignments during study time, certain practices must be followed by members of the family. Study time must be quiet time. The younger members of the family can engage in quiet play and older members, read during this time.

Have your child study in the same location every night. At the family kitchen or dining room table, if he or she is in the primary grades, in his room, at a table or desk if he or she is in highschool. Studying in the same location every night allows your child to get in "study mode". Regularity is important to achieving academic success.

Organize your household schedule so that dinner is served at a regular time, afterward, it is time to study. The child's age must be taken into consideration when scheduling time set aside for studying. A highschooler may be able to concentrate for an hour or two, whereas children in the early grades may only be able to focus for 15 to 20 minutes. Allow your child to take a break, but keep the TV off. Not allowing the television on during study time is important. It can become a major distraction, and a child cannot concentrate properly with it on. Some children seem to have improved focus with quiet music playing. Monitor this with your child, if he or she insists they want music playing while they study.

Watch for signs of frustration as your child studies, especially with young students. If your child becomes angry or upset over an assignment, take a break and go back to the assignment one or two times. If still frustrated, write the child's teacher a note explaining why the assignment wasn't completed. Do not force the child tocomplete the assignment no matter how long it takes. Developing good study habits is more than just completing assignments. Encourage your child to take notes on the chapter he is reading, study tables, charts and graphics, write a summary of what he has learned and make flashcards for reviewing of formulas, spelling words, and dates to be remembered. Note taking is a very important skill and needs to be developed. The best format for note taking is not writing down every word the teacher says, but creating an outline format. Rewriting notes can be time consuming but is a good way to foster retention of difficult material.

It is important for your child to develop the skill of organization and scheduling of assignments. A daily planner or wall calendar may be used for this. Have your child write down each homework assignment on a daily basis. On exam dates have him use a bold marker to mark the date.

Taking tests can provoke anxiety in some students. Explain to your child that cramming for a test is counterproductive. Students should be reminded to thoroughly read the directions before starting the test. They should be told to skip over questions that they do not understand and go back to them after they have taken the entire test. In this way, time is not wasted on a question that is not understood.

Should you help your child with his homework? Not if you know the assignment is something that the child can do himself. It is advisable to help when the child clearly does not understand the material and needs input.

Keep tabs on how your child is progressing so there are no big surprises at report card time. Ask your child from time to time about his test grades. Tune in and listen if your child expressses frustration about a particular teacher, this may be a red flag that he does not understand the material. Always stay positive, it is not good practice to stress and hammer on the idea of getting A's. Draw up a contract with your child and together, agree on a few goals, and rewards and consequences. Reward your child for good work with hugs and extra priveledges such as an extra half hour of TV after homework.

by Jan Hecox., contributing editor