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In case you didn’t notice, parenthood does not come with a manual. And while there are certainly plenty
of books out there that can help you to understand stages of development and give you pointers for
behavior modification, there are so many conflicting viewpoints on raising kids that you might have a
hard time sorting through all the noise to center in on the theories and techniques that will make you
the best parent possible. Should you let your child cry himself to sleep or offer comfort? Are spankings
a strategic display of authority or are they child abuse? At what age should you talk to your kids about
where babies come from? These are all questions that every parent wrestles with and for the most
part, nobody can give you the answers; you just have to figure it out on your own. But when it comes
to academic pursuits the lines are a lot clearer. Although every child develops at his own pace, you can
definitely start teaching yours good study habits from a young age with just a few simple tools at your
disposal.
The first thing you should do is get your child interested in reading. Even before he learns to decipher
alpha-numeric symbols you can read him nightly bedtime stories, and you should definitely start teaching
him letters and numbers before he enters school. A lifetime love affair with reading starts at home in early
childhood and as a parent you can definitely encourage this pastime. But how does this help your child to
develop good study habits?
First and foremost, reading is a gateway to every kind of learning, and kids that master it early will
open many doors. The formative years are the most important when it comes to grasping language and
reading will introduce your child to basics like vocabulary, sentence structure, grammar, and language
comprehension. This can only help him to better grasp every other subject, from history to science and
even math. So if you want to prepare your child for a studious life, start with a strong foundation in
reading.
Of course, the ability to read and comprehend won’t exactly motivate your child to do homework or tackle
subjects he finds boring, so simple behavioral strategies must be put into play. For example, schedule
in specific time for study. Although children tend to be very adaptable, the truth is that they thrive on
stability and routine. You may want to give your kid a break between school and homework (a snack and
some R&R will help him to regroup and come back focused), but try to make study time a staple of daily
life so that it’s always expected.
You should also resign yourself to being present for study time, for a couple of reasons. For one thing,
you want to make yourself available to offer help, check over finished work, and offer instant feedback.
In addition, your presence will ensure that homework is completed in an expedient manner. Kids of
the “click here” generation are prone to straying from the task at hand when presented with distractions
like computers, tablets, and smartphones (or more accurately the access to social networking, web
browsing, and media entertainment that they represent). But a parent in close proximity will definitely
help to limit these interruptions so that fruitful and efficient study can commence.
It is very important to give your kids some time to relax between coming home from school and homework time. Just don’t let them try to relax all night.
Homework can go much smoother earlier in the day when everything is still fresh in their minds.
And each child is different! That’s been my biggest hurdle, I think. All of my children love books and reading. My oldest, who’s 20 now, would (and still does in college) study but she has text anxiety. My son retains pretty well, he’s just in the 2nd grade, and doesn’t require too much repetition to memorize. As long as he sees it. My middle daughter hates to study – already! – and she’s first grade. The youngest at almost 5 still enjoys learning and doing her homework, but I don’t know what she’ll be like when she is required to do homework every night.
It’s always good to learn tips and get encouragement because even if our kids came with manuals we’d have to get addendums every couple of months or so ’cause they keep changing. LOL. 🙂
Parenting is a tough and complicated job for sure!!
I need to be better about establishing a regular time for my son to do his school work. He’s only 4 but we both enjoy sitting down together while I help him learn to write his letters. We both feel so proud when he reads his phonics books.
As I was reading your post, I totally agree with everything you mentioned. From the start I encouraged myself to teach my daughter to start getting familiar with the basics such as knowing her letters and so on. I always put aside at least 20 minutes and started to read to her everyday. We were going to the library each wednesday when they had story time, so she would be meet other kids and for her to be familiar with someone reading to her other then her mommy. It all worked out great. Now, that she is in kindergarten, she is reading very well. I am glad you posted this because reading should be important to every child.
Arrgh and getting them tested if they have any learning disabilities helps too. 🙂
Great tips!!
Its really challenging if you don’t start early and check up on them. This is especially true as they get older and there are higher expectations. I did not develop good study habits myself until I was forced to as an adult in college. Therefore, I sit with my kids every night and force them to sit at the table to read and turn off all tv and other distractions while they are studying.
Oiy, this is our down fall. Motivation is the biggest culprit.
This was a good read. I’m struggling with my son and his studies at the moment
Absolutely agree. My job in the school system was a federal position where I went around and worked with low academic students to increase their grades. I worked on good study habits and reading skills. I also found that by working on spelling and getting them to get good grades on tests was my leap board for them to excel in other areas.