So, once again that time of the year has come, when your son or daughter has his or her examinations waiting for them. They have loads of chapter to learn, millions of sums to practice and tons of study materials to understand and retain in memory. Relax; there is nothing to worry about! They are not the only persons on earth facing troubles with the huge syllabus.
The current academic scenario:
What makes it difficult for the students to complete their syllabus on time are –
- The current trend of academics
- Homework burden
- Assignments and projects
- Pressure of examination.
But, one has to pass this test of patience and stamina. So has to the parents.
If you are worried, how your child will come out with flying colours in the upcoming examination, there are a few things that he or she has to keep in mind. It is not just the period before examination, but the determination and dedication of an entire year that will show the results.
And to make sure that your hard work brings you the desired results, proper study techniques are a must. You can consult with the different professional websites about “How to Make your Child Ready for Loads of Assignments†for better results.
Good Study Habits:
Here are 10 good study habits that every student must grow in him/her for a successful academic result.
- Approach to study:
Research studies have proven, ‘how’ you do something is as important as ‘what’ you do. Your approach to a task can make it enjoyable as well as frustrating. If your child is preoccupied, obsessed or tense about something else, don’t force him or her to study. Let him come back to studies, when the mind is fresh.
However, in case you are in a prolonged disturbed phase and losing time for preparation and study, here are a few useful tips that will help you improve your mood and mind-set.
- Do not lose hope or be disheartened
- Think about your skills and abilities
- Stop comparing yourself with others.
Surely you will be able to avoid the catastrophic thoughts and move ahead.
- Create a study zone:
As a parent, it is a must that you help your child find a proper, suitable study area. Find one that has –
- Quiet atmosphere
- Low-traffic
- Well lit ambience.
In that case, it must be kept in mind, the type of learner your child is. Different children have different learning habits. The study zone must offer the suitable or favourable conditions. Understand the type of learner your child is.
- Visual learner – needs images and pictures
- Verbal learner – learns by speaking aloud
- Solitary learner – needs solitary atmosphere
- Auditory learner – needs sound and music
- Social learner – needs groups to discuss with while learning
Help your child to choose a suitable study zone and make sure that all kinds of disturbances, such as TV, radio, cell phone etc. are kept away while he or she studies. This is a great habit that will help him or her to learn faster and better.
- Create a study plan in daily routine:
Consistency is the key to success. Since my son was in junior school, I used to sit down with him to help him make a study plan at a daily basis, as well as set goals for long term. At that time I used to make a chart as a routine and note down his –
- Daily lessons that he had to complete
- Schedule study sessions for homework
- Note down assignments and their due dates
- Make to-do lists.
Nowadays, children are smarter and they use a calendar or a notebook or even use reminders in their cell phones to keep things reminded and complete them on time.
Planning really is a great study habit that every child must practice.
- Bring everything you need, not what you don’t:
It is a real bad habit that can distract you and break your concentration, to leave your study table time and again to bring things that you need for your study. Hence, make a note of things that you might need while studying and bring them together. These may include –
- Books, copies ad reference materials
- Stationeries
- Project or assignment materials etc.
If you can, try to use hand-written materials or books; rather than use the computer notes as computer is a big distraction. My son used to play games, whenever possible in between study times. Hence, I made him depend on the hand-written notes and not computer.
- Take notes:
This is a great study habit that every child must develop in him or her. Taking notes does not mean to write down everything that he learns or listens. Only the important points need to be noted down. This way, when he has completed studying, he might recapitulate, go through the notes and remember the lessons.
- Do not procrastinate:
Delays can ruin a lot of things. You child will have to do more assignments within a common deadline. Hence, the quality will deteriorate and also there will be a lot of mistakes as he or she will have to rush to complete them. Hence, from his childhood, as a parent, you need to make him grow a habit of doing daily tasks on the very day and not procrastinate.
- Take breaks:
This is for the parents, more than the children. It is OK to take a break! It won’t do any harm. In fact, taking a break of about 5 to 10 minutes before switching subjects or after completing an assignment, homework or lesson, can refresh the mind. It helps in remembering what you have learned. Breaks can be –
- Listening to a song
- Having an ice cream
- Taking a walk
- Simply sitting down in a quiet room
- Chatting with siblings or parents.
Anything light and short is good as a break.
- Test yourself:
Children should always take tests. These mock tests can help them to understand how much they have learnt, where they need to concentrate more and the areas that they still have a doubt in. as a parent, you can help him or her make test papers or use the online mock test platforms. Tests can also help him get rid of the fear of examination.
- Use memory games:
My child always faced trouble in remembering all the dates or names in a chapter. Many other children also have this same problem. I helped my son in making mnemonic games. It is like making a fun and easy sentence with the initial letters of certain information. This is really helpful.
- Mnemonic:
You want to keep the names of states or state capitals in mind. May be they start with CDHAF. You can make a sentence like “Children deserve holiday and fun!†If you can arrange the initials in a certain order that they themselves make a word or are easy to remember, you can go that way.
- Flashcard:
Or you can also use flashcards and check if you can remember the dates, definition or event associated with the flashcard topic.
- Discuss with a group:
A child can learn more things and recapitulate what he or she has already learnt, if he or she discusses it with a group.
Now, as a parent it is your task that your child develops these habits in him or her. This will certainly help him or her to be a successful academician.