Teaching Children to Manage Their Study

Now that schoolkids are on ‘distant learning’ because of the Covid-19 pandemic, all the more they need to be conscientious in their study. Most of the time, there is no teacher physically present to notice when the kids’ attention begins to wander during class. The kids themselves have to be self-motivated and responsible.

Even at home with the parents present, it’s really hard to control distractions. Besides, parents are not as keenly familiar with the clues of inattention in children as teachers are. This is added reason for the need to teach children to manage their own study.

Justin Coulson, at the website www.kidspot.com. au, notes: “Academic success is very important to many parents. Frustratingly for many parents, their children often do not see academic success as important at all!” Children are children – they still lack the experience to figure out how their present actions connect with possible future conditions.

In view of the great challenge for children to do well at school (wherever school may be these days) in order to have good quality career options later on, Coulson shares tips for parents to help their school-age children become independent students who know how to manage their own time and studies effectively:

1. Make age-appropriate requests. Studying is hard work. Young children will typically have less ability (and less need) to study, whereas older children will have both greater need to study, and greater ability to do so. Avoid having too high an expectation on children under around Grade 9 to do significant amounts of study. Research indicates that high workloads and monotonous study can actually lead to poorer performance and motivation by kids, particularly before the age of 15. After age 15, around two hours per night seems to be just about right.

2. Resist the urge to insist. Children respond to requests best when they are given the opportunity to make their own choices. If you try to force them to study, they will likely resist.

Like adults, kids resist being told what to do. Instead, it can be useful to ask, “What were you planning on studying today?” or “What can I do to help you with your studies?” Some gentle reminders may also be helpful, such as “Your exams are only two weeks away. How do you plan to prepare?”

3. Encourage routine. When children have a consistent routine that includes study, there is less need to continually harp on about it. Sixteen year-old Alissa knew that every afternoon when she arrived home she had three things to complete before she could have ‘her’ time. She had to practice her musical instrument for 30 minutes, study, and prepare the table for dinner. The rest of the afternoon was hers. This routine meant that there were few family arguments about priorities.

Nine year-old Jacob had an afternoon schedule that consisted of afternoon tea, unpacking his school bag, reading for a short time to his mom, and then working on projects for 30 minutes. Then he played with his friends.

4. Minimize distractions. Let your children know that television, Internet, friends, cellular phone, swimming pool, bikes, and any other distractions will be available to them only after they have completed the appropriate studies.

5. Follow up. Parents should be involved in their children’s studies. Ask what your child has done, and review it. For projects, avoid criticisms but ask their permission to make suggestions. Better still, ask what your child thinks of his or her work. For exam study, it can be particularly useful to help your child study by asking him or her to write out several questions and answers. Then you can test him or her. The quizzing can become a fun game, and also allows you to be involved in the learning process.

6. Manage your own time well. One of the most powerful ways for your child to learn good study habits is to see you using your own time well. By developing yourself as a person (rather than staring at the television), your child will recognize that you value learning and study, and your modelling of what is important will influence your child’s study choices.