So how can you help your child to inculcate the skills to study and do homework so that they become successful, both academically and personally, or otherwise. The following are the most effective tips for you to ponder over.
1. Switch off the television. Introduce a house rule, that when it’s time for your child to study, they cannot get access to television. Television tends to draw the attention of the young children like a moth to the flame. Tell your child that they can have their fill of “Looney Toons” or “Phineas and Ferb” later. Incidentally, you can hire a homework help online to carry out the tasks.
2. There should be rules about accessing the phone during the study time. While it’s not possible to prevent people from calling, but you can impose some restrictions on long and unnecessary phone calls to get your child to do their homework. Or else you can delegate your child’s tasks to an expert homework help service online.
3. Consistency is the key to your child’s success. Try to maintain a specific time for every activity so that that child can be accustomed to doing everything within that time span. If your child doesn’t have any other obligations or engagements and gets home quite early from school, then you can get them to do study earlier than their usual time so that they can rest later.
4. Set the time of homework based on your child’s developmental level. Typically a high school student can sit down to study for over an hour, while the first-graders can barely spare over 15 minutes owing to their limited attention span. Make sure your child is taking breaks in between. You can even create a reward system where you allow them breaks after they’ve finished a couple of sums.
5. Make sure your child understands that studying isn’t only about doing homework. There are many misconstrued opinions regarding the difference between doing homework and studying; you need to understand yourself first and then teach that to your child.
6. Taking notes is a crucial aspect and should be developed. Many students are not acquainted with how to properly write down the relevant things that are taught in class. Some even believe that they should write what the teacher says, word for word.
Only a few have been able to understand the value of an outline format while taking notes.
In some cases, the notes can be rewritten. Rewriting notes requires a great deal of time, but it often turns out to be an excellent review of the subject.
7. A dictionary that’s been lying around unused is up to no good. Keep the dictionary in a place where you can easily access it and refer to it from time to time in the presence of your child. If the dictionary is in the living room and the child generally studies in his/her own room, buy another pocket dictionary exclusively for his/her use.
Good organizational skills are based on the ability to arrange things in alphabetical order. Ask your child’s class teacher whether he/she practices this activity in class or not. If your child is new to it, you can start by arranging the names of the family members or a few favourite toys in alphabetical order.
8. Support your child to feel more comfortable about sitting for exams. Taking tests can be a stressful experience for the students. So tell your child that mugging up everything the night before the exam is not a good idea, and it’s essential that they get a good night’s sleep.
Children also need reminding that while sitting for the exam, they should read the instructions carefully before proceeding to answer the questions abruptly. They should be taught first to attempt the questions that they feel confident about. They can always return to the complicated questions when there’s sufficient time.
