How Much Time Should Your Children Spend Studying?

Many parents wonder how much time their children should spend studying. Keep reading to learn how to best guide them.

Written and verified by the psychopedagogue María José Roldán.

Last update: 25 May, 2023

It’s normal for parents to have certain doubts about the time their children should spend studying because too much time isn’t good, nor is too little time. It’s important to find a balance between free time, study, and the student’s ability. Therefore, we’re going to answer the following question in this article: How much time should your children dedicate to studying?

Children need to adopt study habits and have the necessary tools to be able to do it successfully. Of course, they can’t lack the necessary effort to achieve their daily goals. But, they should also take into account the hours that they should dedicate to it.

Aspects that interfere with studying

There are some aspects that interfere with studying and it’s important to take them into account in order to be aware of their importance and improve study techniques. Let’s look at some of these aspects:

• Emotional state: If a student isn’t well emotionally, they won’t be able to study because their concentration won’t be able to be of good quality. In this case, they’ll have mental interference, which impairs concentration.
• Lack of motivation: If a student doesn’t have good intrinsic motivation to do things with effort and tenacity, it’ll be complicated.
• Very difficult tasks: The tasks or study that students must carry out must be in accordance with their capacity and age. If they’re over-demanded, they can become frustrated very quickly. Also, if it’s too easy, they’ll think they know everything and won’t feel the need to learn. The concepts should be balanced according to their ability.

Home study tips

For home study time to be a good option for your children and also rewarding, there are a number of tips to keep in mind. Take note, so your children get much better use of the time they spend studying:

• Have a quiet place without distractions. The study space should have good lighting, the right furniture, and a suitable temperature that’s not too hot or too cold.
• Study habits should begin at the age of 6. This way, as they grow up and reach high school, they’ll have fewer learning problems.
• To get them into the habit, they should be guided from an early age. It’s not about doing things for them but guiding them to find the right answers.
• Have a realistic study plan. It’s very important to take into account the student’s ability and the time available and, at the same time, be flexible.

Table of study hours according to age

To know how many hours a child or adolescent should study, you must take into account their age. Only in this way will you be able to know what their real level of concentration is. Although, of course, the idiosyncrasy of each student should also be taken into account.

There are children who take longer to master sustained attention, so the actual time they spend studying will depend on the pace of each one. For this reason, it’s important to take into account the concentration capacity that a child may have according to their age. Therefore, attention should be paid to the following:

• Children 6 years old: Attention from 15 to 30 minutes
• Children 7 years old: Attention from 15 to 35 minutes
• Children 8 years old: Attention from 15 to 40 minutes
• Children 9 years old: Attention from 20 to 45 minutes
• Children 10 years old: Attention from 20 to 50 minutes
• From 10 years of age: 1 hour of attention and, with breaks, this time can be increased

Remember that this table is a guideline and that it’s not a matter of being rigid with respect to study time. It’s important to be flexible so that in this way, the student feels their capacity without losing motivation. On many occasions, it’s the children themselves who set the times due to their evolutionary rhythm, so you must respect them.

The child’s motivation is key

Taking into account all these tips, you’ll be able to establish a study time for the children. But remember that you must always respect their own pace and motivate them so that they realize that learning will bring them great benefits. A child who’s motivated to learn will have no problem doing so and acquiring good study habits.