Developing strong study skills is one of the most important things a student can do, regardless of grade level. Building these skills early can help a student not only do better in school but obtain higher scores on standardized tests – which can actually mean money in your family’s pocket! Part of each of our tutoring programs is helping students develop these skills, resulting in lower stress and improved results.
Start building these study habits today!
1. Keep Distractions Away
It can be tempting for a student to send a quick text or do a dive deep of information online that may not be directly related to the topic at hand. Giving into this temptation can waste time and distract students from what they are studying. Put your phone in the other room and make a study snack ahead of time. Do anything you can to prevent having to get up during the time allotted to studying.
2. Incorporate Rewards
Studying isn’t fun – but incorporating some rewards into the process can make it a little more bearable. Maybe a student gets some extra TV time for each page they read in their book or some other incentive. Make a visual diagram that outlines what your child can expect as a reward so they have something to work towards.
3. Balance Time
Like anything in life, it is important to incorporate balance into your study efforts. At some point, a student sees diminishing returns in the time they are putting into one particular subject or specific test. When you hit your “study wall,” turn to another topic or type of study habit to refocus your attention.
4. Get Enough Sleep
Young adults need a good amount of sleep – 9 hours by many studies. Making sure that you help your child get the sleep they need amidst all of the activities going on in her life is one of most important things you can to help with their study skills. Students who consistently get less sleep than recommended have a hard time concentrating and their grades can suffer.
5. Vary Methods
There are many ways to study. Each of these comes with different level of retention and can impact the time spent on a topic. Encourage your child to mix up her study techniques! Teaching skills to others has actually shown to be one of the best ways for a student to retain information. Trying new techniques helps a student prevent mental fatigue and better retain important information.
