Most parents want to help their children do well in school, but you may not always know the best way to help your child with schoolwork. One particularly challenging question can be how to help your children study. There are a number of ways that parents can help their children improve and hone their study skills, improving their grades and increasing their degree of academic success.
Step 1
Create a distraction-free study zone, where your child won't have her attention pulled away by television or text messages. Set up a comfortable, welcoming space with a comfortable seat and work surface--you can use the kitchen table, a bedroom desk or any quiet space with room for books and papers.
Step 2
Establish a consistent study time that works well with your child's schedule since consistency can help make studying a habit. Avoid the hour or so just before bedtime when children are more likely to be tired and have trouble focusing. Choose a time when your child is mentally active and energetic, such as right after school or just before dinner.
Step 3
Talk to your child and assess his skills so that you can help him set priorities. According to researchers at the National Institutes of Health, younger students are likely to concentrate their studying on topics they already know instead of tackling new subjects. They advise helping your child hone in on what he doesn't understand and focus his efforts on those topics.
Step 4
Encourage your child to make flashcards to help her master different subjects. According to the NIH, students are more likely to retain information when they generate the answers themselves--a phenomenon known as the generation effect.
Step 5
Plan short study sessions every day instead of longer study sessions just before a specific test. NIH research demonstrates that children learn best when they build their knowledge over several shorter study sessions than when they try to cram a lot of information into a session that's a few hours long.
Tips and Warnings
- Consider keeping a homework chart or homework journal so your child can keep a record of the subjects he's working on every day and how much time he's spending on them. You'll be able to quickly evaluate where he might be having trouble.
