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Good Study Habits For Kids
As a parent one of the things on your
"TO DO" list is to teach your children value of good study
habits. This is
something that should begin at a very early age.
To study is to
apply the mind to learning and understanding a subject. Studying can be
compared to any extracurricular activity that you may do because it is a
task that needs practice in order to become proficient. If you learn to
study properly good grades will come automatically. There are six steps
to follow to maintain smart study habits:
Pay attention in class
and take good notes
 When
you pay attention in class and take good notes, you are starting the
process of learning and studying. Keep your attention focused on what
your teacher is saying. Listen for key phrases to help you determine
what is important enough to write down. For example if you hear “This
is important …” and “Remember that . . . “ be sure to include in your
notes information that your teacher repeats or writes on the
chalkboard. If there is something that you are confused with put a *
next to it and talk to your teacher about it after class.
Write quickly so that you can
include all the important information in your notes and use
abbreviations or symbols if necessary. Review your notes when you get
home you can copy them over expanding your abbreviated words and
sentences.
It’s also a good idea to keep
your notes, quizzes, and papers organized by subject.
Plan ahead for
test and projects
 There are only so many hours in a
day, a week, and marking period. You cannot change the number of hours,
but you can determine how to
bests spend your time. To be
successful in
school, you must carefully manage your study time. Get a cool calendar
and then write down your test and assignment due dates as well as all
extracurricular activity commitments. Once you see your schedule you can
plan how much to do after school each day, and how much time to spend on
each topic or unit.
Break the
workload down into smaller sections
 Take
everything on your test and break it into smaller sections. You can do
this by chapters, units or by sections or topics on the test such
as
vocabulary words, maps etc… A trick that you can use to study is to
make up “words” or phrases to help you remember things. For example:
Use the word HOMES or a phrase
like “Her old mom eats steak” to remember the name of the Great Lakes
(e.g., Huron, Ontario, Michigan,
Erie and Superior
Select a good
study location
A good study location should
be free from interruptions and distractions. It should have ample
lighting and the temperature should be comfortable. A desk with a
comfortable chair and study materials should be available.
Ask for help
if needed
 If you find when you are
reviewing your work that you have questions talk to your teacher,
parents or a classmate.
A study group often helps to make studying
easier.
Get a good
night’s sleep
You must get a good night sleep
prior to a test so that you are well rested and can think clearly for
your test.
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