Help Your Child Study Smarter Not Harder

It’s a cruel thing… just when you thought you’d finally finished with school, your kids come along and plunge you right back into the world of textbooks and stressful tests all over again.

Simple hacks to help your kid study better.

To save you both some time and sanity, we’ve compiled the ultimate list of study methods and savvy tips to empower your kids to study smarter, not harder.

UNDERSTAND STUDY STYLES

Not all study methods and modes of learning work for all people. In fact, the way we learn best is about as unique as our fingerprints!

Here’s an overview of the four most common learning styles.

– Visual

Visual learners are better able to retain information when it’s presented to them via their eyes—through pictures, or in a graphic depiction that uses arrows, charts, diagrams, and symbols.

Mind maps work well for these learners.

– Auditory

Auditory learners prefer taking in information through their ears. Listening to information presented vocally is how they learn best. These learners work well in group settings, where vocal contributions are encouraged.

They may also enjoy reading aloud or teaching their leanings back to others.

– Reading & Writing

These learners like to focus on the written word and study well with written information on worksheets, presentations, and other text-heavy resources they can read.

These learners tend to be excellent note-takers and perform best when they can reference written texts and highlight important parts along the way.

– Kinesthetic

These learners like to get physical! They are hands-on and thrive when engaging all of their senses during coursework. Practical activities and ways of learning that allow them to be hands-on and move while they work are essential for these movers and shakers!

If you’re teaching Shakespeare, for example, have them act out a scene or throw a ball against a wall as they repeat a list of facts. Chewing gum while they study might also help.

WORK WITH THEIR STYLE, NOT AGAINST IT

Not only are there different learning styles, but there are different study methods for different age groups too.

Depending on your child’s age and style, it’s best to try a variety of study methods in order to find which ones work best for them. Be encouraged that although some styles are more challenging to facilitate than others – there are no wrong or right styles of learning.

People from every learning style can excel at studying when they find what works for them!

As a general rule, stay close at the start of their studying journey.

Help them try out different study options, and chat about which ones seem to work best for them.

You might want to help them work out a study timetable too. But then, dear folks, at some point: step back! Sometimes, the hardest lesson we need to learn is that they may need to learn the hard way.

If your child refuses to study – let them suffer the consequences earlier than later (when the stakes are higher).

STUDY SNAGS

Watch out for these common obstacles:

1. Lack of sleep. Lack of sleep doesn’t just make them tired, it can also worsen symptoms like lack of focus and problems with motor skills. Emotionally, a lack of sleep causes a release of higher volumes of cortisol (the stress hormone), which means we’re more inclined to feel anxious, fractious, and depressed.
2. Too much stress. School can be a high-stress time for our kids. There’s not only lots to learn in the classroom, but tricky social situations can add to their worries too. Time and time again though, it’s been proven that stress and studying really don’t mix well. It’s much better to try and create a calm environment for them to learn in, and to try to encourage them to not leave studying to the last minute. Slow and steady wins the day – a little work every day is far better than a lot of work in the final few hours.
3. Distractions. Never before have we been so easily distracted, and it’s so easy to find distractions – especially via screens.
4. Procrastination. Sometimes, it might seem like your child will do anything rather than just sit down and study. But did you know that underneath this delay tactic is often unspoken anxiety? The desperate feeling that the task ahead is just too overwhelming or big to even begin to attempt. The best way to tackle this is to break up big tasks into smaller steps. Just do the first page, then take a 5-minute break. As soon as we feel a sense of momentum and progress, it’s easier to continue again. Remember that the ability to stick it out when things get tough is a skill that we can grow and develop – nobody is born with it!
5. Genuine lack of interest. Let’s face it – some of the things we study or have to do in life will have little to no appeal for us or our kids. If this is the case, it’s hard to stay motivated. Our kids should be encouraged based on how much effort they put in, and how much progress they’re making, not on the result they achieve. What’s more, it’s always best if we can get to a place of realizing that the ultimate reward is the inward feeling of achievement – not an outside ‘carrot dangling on a stick. Still, we all need a few carrots on sticks to get us going from time to time!

What about you mum? Any other study tips you can pass on that help your child when it comes to studying?

Comment below and let us know x