Whether your children are learning in school or continuing social distance learning at home, there is one way you can help your child thrive during these uncharted learning times: teach them good study habits.

Teaching your children good study habits early on in life will set them on the track to academic success. All good study habits stem from good daily life habits. So teaching effective study skills benefits your child’s academic life, their personal life, and their future professional life.

Below are 6 good study habits that will set your child up for success.

1. Be Punctual

One of the best study habits and life habits you can teach your child early on is to be punctual. Why? Being punctual teaches them how to effectively practice time management and self-discipline. Emphasizing the importance of punctuality also teaches your child how to be trustworthy and honor other people’s time.

Here are some easy steps you can take to teach your child how to be punctual:

• Set-up the rules of time management together i.e. How long should it take them to get ready for bed? Or how long they can watch tv during the day?

• Make sure that your child knows the consequences that follow when they are not punctual. Did they over exceed the tv time that you both agreed on? Make it clear that the consequence is watching no more tv for the day, and follow through with that consequence.

•  Point out the amount of time your child spends on day-to-day tasks. This will help them have a good understanding of time. If you want your child to understand the importance of punctuality, they need to have a good grasp of time. So draw their attention to the amount of time it takes them to pick up their toys. Or how long a trip to the grocery store takes. This will help them realize difference between 10 minutes vs 20 minutes, and form an accurate understanding of time.

• Emphasize the relationship between being punctual and being trustworthy. Have conversations with your child and explain to them how showing up to a location at a time they agreed to, or finishing a task on time, shows others how reliable and trustworthy they are. Explain to them how being punctual is a social contract that they will have with almost every one of their future relationships: friends, teacher, employers, and more.

2. Be Focused

Does your child have a hard time staying focused on their homework? Being focused is a good  study habit to try and teach your child early on in their formative years because it encourages them to think deeply, be patience, and persistent.

One way you can help your child focus more during their study time is to set up a distraction free study environment. Think of an open, quiet place, with no tv blaring on in the background. There’s no o toys or smartphones within hands reach, and no little siblings running around.

Another way you can help your child’s focus is to have them work one task at a time. This eliminates their chances of feeling overwhelmed and distracted.

3. Be Prepared

Between homework, science fair projects, extracurricular activities, and studying for tests, it’s easy for children to be overwhelmed and let assignments slip through the cracks. Helping your child develop the study habit of preparedness teaches them how to be organized, responsible, and independent.

One way you can help them become more prepared and learn how to manage their time is to help them set up a daily schedule. By setting up a daily schedule, filled with playtime, chore time, relaxing time, and homework time, your child will know what he or she has to prepare for each and every day. When setting up the schedule, include your child in the scheduling process. This keeps them engaged and gives them a sense of ownership.

Being more hands-off in chores is another way you can teach your child how to be prepared. Let them put their own outfits together and let them take care of their other chores by themselves. By fostering a spirit of independence, they will be more inclined to take it upon themselves to start their homework or school projects without any prompting and hand-holding.

4. Help Your Child Teach What They Learn

Memorizing formulas or steps is one thing, but how do you know if your child really understands what they’re learning? Have them try to teach their lesson to you. If a student is able to teach others a new concept, that means that they’ve retained 90% of the learning material.

So take some time once a week to sit down with your child and have them teach you what they’re learning in school. By doing so, you can see how they are solving problems step-by-step, the best ways they learn, and which areas they need a little more help with.

5. Teach Them How to Take Good Notes

Taking notes is a good study habit that has stood the test of time for a reason. Why? Because it teaches students how to concentrate, identify crucial information, and how to solve questions step-by-step. Taking notes also encourages patience and paying attention to the details. When a student understands a new lesson, they write comprehensive notes.

Reviewing your child’s school notes will quickly reveal which subjects they understand and which subjects they are struggling with. Taking notes is a good study habit that forms logic thinking skills. It’s also a habit that your child will use throughout the rest of their life.

So strengthen the habit of note taking at home. Encourage your kids to take some notes on books they’re reading just for fun. Or take nature notes of what they observe while out on a family hike. Carve out some time each week to help them understand what they should be looking for when note taking.

6. Teach Self-Reflection

Self-reflection is a study habit that will positively affect your child’s school life, career, and their personal life. Self-reflection teaches kids how to look back on their lessons and see what they understand, and what they don’t understand. Self-reflecting teaches your children how to critically think, become in tune with their feelings, and assess their work.

Want to learn more about how teach your kids good study habits? Watch our webinar on How Cure Carelessness