As parents, it is our responsibility to help our kids develop healthy study habits. In addition to finishing their homework each day, which is unquestionably necessary, it’s also crucial to consider how kids learn. After all, while homework will eventually be finished, learning is a life-long journey; thus, students must maintain a positive attitude toward learning if they want to succeed in life.
Habits form early in a child
As habits form and get entrenched in the human brain, they will automatically be based on an individual’s environment unless there is a conscious effort to shape them.
Once habits are set, they are very difficult to break because repeat habits set up a dopamine release loop in the brain, which creates a feeling of pleasure and strengthens the habit.
When it comes to kids, you need to catch them while they’re young. A recent study out of Brown University has concluded that routines and habits in children, including household chores and responsibilities, are unlikely to vary after the age of 9. For most children, this takes firm root by the third grade. According to the research, which surveyed nearly 50,000 American families, chores remained consistent from the age of 9 through the conclusion of high school. (Pressman et al., 2014)
But that doesn’t mean you should wait until you think they know what you’re talking about. Kids pick up on more things than we realise, and as mentioned above, it starts early.
While study habits can be built later in life, start with teaching your kids self-control. Research has shown that children who learn self-control early are set up for more success later in life. Children who exhibit tendencies like impulsivity, aggression, and hyperactivity struggle emotionally, socially, and academically throughout life (Spira & Fischel, 2005).
However, this post will be on how YOU can help your child focus specifically on developing successful learning habits in young school-going children.
1. Designate a study area for your child
Assist your child in setting up a workspace for homework and other school-related activities. It will facilitate focus and productivity as they get accustomed to this environment.
Of course, their minds are where they do their “actual” studying. The capacity to enter and exit “concentration mode” will be very useful to them in the future.
2. Get your child the necessary materials for their learning
As children play with materials, they learn about their physical properties and what these materials can do in the world, such as how they can be rolled, stacked, or moved. A material’s sensory and aesthetic properties may also transform as a child plays with it, generating opportunities for further experimentation. (Material Matters in Children’s Creative Learning, 2019)
Here is a list of the top 10 resources available ideally for your kid
(A BLOG THAT WILL LINK TO 72 STOREY)
3. Keep short breaks between bursts of concentration
Sometimes referred to as the “Pomodoro technique”, this famous and well-loved productivity technique recognises that the human brain cannot focus for too long without getting exhausted (Ashley, 2021). It’s just nature on how we’re wired.
Instead, your child can focus for an extended period, typically around 25 minutes, followed by a short break of 5 minutes to allow the brain to rest and recuperate for the next burst of concentration. After 3-4 cycles like this, a more extended break of usually 15 minutes follows.
Having to sit and concentrate for hours together can feel like a daunting task. This method, among other things, tricks the brain by setting a shorter time limit. 25 minutes doesn’t seem quite as long as 2 hours, so it doesn’t feel as daunting. The short break rejuvenates the mind and makes it easy to keep going.
4. Plan Together with your Child On Time Management
Encourage your child to learn how much time a particular task will take for them. They must familiarise themselves with their learning styles (while constantly improving simultaneously).
Then they can prioritise their tasks. Perhaps they want to do the ones that will take longer earlier in the day and keep the shorter ones for later when they have less energy.
We often don’t worry about these skills until we are in a professional setting, so helping your child form these habits will give them a massive head start.
Additionally, by developing learning habits that enable them to be in control of their work, you encourage them to realise what they enjoy more. This will help them make a more carefully considered career choice later on.
5. Let them solve things by themselves
It’s a natural tendency for parents to “come to their child’s rescue” whenever the child is faced with a problem. But doing this too much will make them over-reliant on outside help.
Instead, get them into the habit of solving things for themselves. Don’t just hand them solutions; guide them. A significant part of learning—and life in general—is experimenting with solutions, figuring out what works, and even sometimes failing.
This kind of habit can also help spark a natural curiosity in your child.
6. Build a growth mindset in your child
This mostly has to do about how you praise your child. We have covered this topic more extensively in our post on growth mindset, but here’s the gist:
- Overly praising them for doing well can make them think that everything should come easy to them.
- Overly praising their effort can also be damaging.
- Instead, focus on praising the process. It’s not so much about the result, it’s about how they achieved it.
Promoting a growth mindset produces in your child an attitude that intelligence, creativity, and personality can be cultivated through effort, makes them resilient to the spectre of failure, and emboldens them to face challenges.
7. Foster creativity and curiosity
Creativity and curiosity are not always innate characteristics. Sure, kids like to explore and discover things when they are young, but some researchers believe that this is not indicative of inherent creativity.
Encourage your children to seek new forms of stimuli. Show them the thrill of discovering something new. You might even share some of your hobbies if only to show them how much joy it gives you.
Creativity and curiosity occur naturally in spades in some children, but they are also habits that can be developed with constant stimuli.
—
Congratulation! You are one step closer to helping your child be prepared to become the best version of themself as they can be. Since you have read about what are the
development habits for children to build when they are young; if you’re keen to find out how to better your child for his/her success click here to find out more!
Ultimate 3-Step Solution to Educate Your Child
What’s Next?
The journey of parenting and learning is never-ending. We have cherry-picked the Ultimate 3-Step Solution to educate your child that you can follow.