Teaching Children How to Study on Their Own
Teaching children how to study on their own is an incredibly important process that parents should help guide, supervise and support during their development.
Teaching a child to study on their own isn’t only an act of cooperation; it’s one of responsibility.
During childhood, a parent’s support should always be available, especially when it comes to learning and acquiring knowledge.
Parents’ participation in a child’s homework will definitely influence their performance at school. That’s why it’s very important for parents to maintain a proactive attitude.
A good habit to establish early on is for children to achieve all of their academic objectives both at school and at home (with homework).
This will help prepare them to handle stressful situations such as exams (written or oral) in a better way.
Teaching a child to study on their own will provide them with a useful tool for the rest of their lives.
Keep in mind that most of the habits picked up in childhood carry on into adulthood.
Discipline is an important value when it comes to maintaining and increasing motivation to learn.
“Motivation is what gets you started, habits are what make you follow through”– Jim Ryun.
Tips to teach your child to study on their own
The first step to teaching a child to study on their own is the preparation of a study area.
Clean up the table, take away things that might distract them, place a good lamp on their desk and place all of the instruments they need on the table (pencils, papers, dictionaries, etc).
Don’t forget to keep a bottle of water nearby. Children shouldn’t forget to stay hydrated while studying.
Divide the topics
Once the study area is ready, the first thing you should do is divide the topics into sections.
This way the child will have a clear idea of what they’re going to study. It will also make all of the information easier to handle.
Although the main objective of this exercise is to get the child to study on their own, we shouldn’t be too distant from the process.
When they’re about to get started we should motivate them, and when they finish we should ask them how they feel and let them know they’ve done a good job.
If the child has any questions, you should try to help them. Be patient with their questions in order to help them overcome any challenges.
You should try to help them find and apply the solutions in order to prevent them from getting frustrated and losing interest.
If they need to memorize something, you can help them by asking questions. Try to ask them simple questions at first in order to make them feel confident enough to respond.
Don’t force them
If you’re constantly pressuring them when it comes to studying and you punish them when they don’t listen, the child might get fed up.
That’s why you should ask them to study in a relaxed but firm way. They should understand the importance of studying.
Take breaks
Teaching a child to study on their own also means teaching them that breaks are fair and necessary. Make sure your child takes short breaks regularly.
Keep in mind that if you ask the child to work for more time than they can focus, they won’t take full advantage of their time. They’ll start to associate studying as something negative.
Give them subtle gifts
Another great tip that can help you when it comes to teaching your child how to study on their own is by implementing a gift system.
The system should be selected wisely to keep them motivated.
Teach your child to learn
You should teach your child to learn not only for the sake of studying.
Motivate them to learn something new every day. They should understand the importance of knowledge in everyday life.
Parents can even find interactive ways to help their children learn at home. Some examples are: documentaries, educative games and books.
It’s helpful to ask questions. Try to teach your child to ask questions and reflect on the world around them.
Find fun ways to study
Parents can try different methods and modifications until they find a study system that works for their child.
For example, you can use didactic cards, a personalized study guide or sticky notes in the child’s room.
You should also encourage your child to find a unique way to study that works for them.
You can make suggestions and stimulate them with certain interesting information.
Minimize distractions
Another crucial aspect for teaching a child to study on their own is preventing distraction.
In order to achieve this, turn off the television, radio and any other electronic devices in their study space.
If necessary, you can limit their internet access completely when it comes time to study.
Writing things down; a valuable tool
In order to teach a child how to study on their own, use a pencil and paper. Many children retain information more efficiently when they write things down.
That’s why it’s a good idea to teach them to write down notes and questions related to the topic they’re studying. They’ll practically be making a study guide.
It’s important for them to be capable of answering questions on the topic.
Once they’ve written everything down, they should revise the information every now and then in order to fully retain it.
All of these tips reduce stress when it comes to exam time.
