Homework Studies At a Glance

Good study habits are learned so they can be taught.
Creating weekly and daily study plans will help your child stay organized, reinforce good habits and prepare for the next day.
Building in rewards for each task accomplished can help your child study more effectively.

Organizational skills

“Learning effective study strategies can reduce your child’s stress about school and improve his grades.” It may even help both of you avoid battles over the homework. Here are two useful strategies to share with your child, based on suggestions in Academic Success Strategies for Adolescents…(©2003 Brookes Publishing Co.).

1) Over “C” tests and assignments.

Studying isn’t just a matter of sitting down to review notes. It also involves knowing what you need to study when and keeping track of assignments and tests.

Many middle school and high school teachers use an online grading program. Additionally, they will list daily assignments and due dates, as well as grades. Your child can use this to plan their studying, using the following steps.

• Create a calendar. Show your child how to use a large wall calendar and a set of markers to keep track of all the assignments. They can assign each class a different colored marker and write all of their assignments, activities and appointments on the calendar. Or they can use an online calendar—and sync it with multiple devices, including their and laptop.
• Create a weekly planner. Your child can break down information on the calendar to make a study plan for each week. Show them how to transfer their obligations for each week from the big calendar to a weekly planner, making sure they include time to work on each assignment a few days before it’s due.
• Create a daily checklist. It may seem like overkill, but breaking down the weekly plan into a daily checklist can also be very helpful. This to-do list helps your child keep track of their day and see how much progress they are making. It’s a good idea for them to list each day’s tasks in the order they should do them and to write down the specific time of each class or appointment.

As a result of this daily checklist they are able to reward themselves as they check off each accomplishment.

2) “CHECK” in to studying

Once your teen has a handle on what to study, the next step is learning how to study. Again, this can be broken into a CHECK list—with each letter in “check” standing for a step in the process of getting ready.

• Consider location. Does your teen study better at school, at the library or at home? Some teens work better away from distractions, while others like to have someone nearby in case they need help. Whatever your child chooses, when it’s homework time, that’s the environment he should study in. (See some homework station ideas from the Understood Community.)
• Have all materials on hand. It can be very distracting to have to look for a pencil or a calculator in the middle of studying. Help your child find a place where he can store all his homework materials so they’re ready to go before he starts working.
• Establish rewards. At first, you may need to help your child set up a reward system. For example, for every chapter he reads, you might let him use the computer for 10 minutes. Eventually, though, he’ll learn to reward himself, even if it’s just by eating a snack between English and algebra homework.
• Create a study checklist. Taking the Daily Checklist from above the “study checklist” includes all the steps your teen needs to take to get ready to do his homework and the materials he needs to study that day. Having everything listed out can make it easier for him to get started and prioritize his time. It may also make his homework load seem less overwhelming.
• Keep a worry pad. A worry pad is a tool for teens who are easily distracted by their own thoughts. Instead of trying to deal with all the distracting things that keep popping into his head, your child can write them down on the pad. When he’s done studying, then he can deal with the things that distracted him.
  Remember, good study habits take time to develop.

 

If your child struggles with organization and time management, you may also want to try:

• A printable cell phone contract
• Color-coding
• Tips to help high-schoolers slow down on homework
• You can also search parenting coach for hundreds of practical tips.

Key Takeaways
Knowing what to study, organizing time and materials, and managing distractions are important homework skills.
If your teen gets distracted when studying, he can write his thoughts on a pad and return to them later.
If your child is having trouble developing good study skills, you may want to consult a tutor to help him.