Consider this the ultimate guide to developing study habits for elementary and middle school students. In it, we will cover:
- Take an Active Role in Organization
- Make Sure Your Children Have a Place to Study
- Practice Proper Nutrition and Exercise
- Know When to Take Breaks
- Make a Plan with Your Child’s Teachers
As you read this guide, we want to emphasize how important it is to be part of the right school for your child. The support they can receive at a private Christian institution like St. Paul Lutheran School is invaluable for ensuring that they have the tools and community they need to develop effective study habits.
If you would like more information about St. Paul, we would love to answer your questions.
1) Take an Active Role in Helping Them Get Organized
Believe it or not, many elementary and middle school students are not going to take the initiative to get themselves organized on their own. Some will, but most will need help and encouragement. Taking an active role in helping your child get organized, however, can pay dividends for them and you for years.
Get the Right Tools
One key to getting organized is finding the right tools and committing to use them. Your child should have ownership in choosing tools that suit their personality. Some organizational tools you need include:
- An old-fashioned paper planner
- A container for pens and pencils
- A calendar
- A comfortable bookbag
- A dest (at home)
- Notebooks
- Sticky notes
Organizing their things is part of the process. They also need to organize their assignments.
Collect Assignments
Are you no longer surprised when your child suddenly needs a poster board for a project due the next morning? Can you practically repeat the I forgot speech word-for-word?
For next semester, plan to break the procrastination cycle by collecting and scheduling assignments as soon as your child gets home from school each day.
Establish a Calendar
What do you do with your assignments once they're collected? You and your child put them on the calendar you established before the school year begins. Here are some tips for your calendar:
- Make it big and hang it in their study area.
- Consider color-coding your assignments by subject or kind.
- Goals for learning and mastering subjects should be included in addition to tasks.
- When assignments are finished, and study goals are met, it's time to celebrate.
- Make the study calendar a regular part of your day.
- Create a digital version of the calendar that syncs with your device.
Your child’s calendar should build in time for studying the material they are learning in school. Part of the schedule may include you going over their notes or textbook(s) with them.
Stick With It
Whatever you establish, stick with it, as long as it is working. Abandon the practices that prove to be more trouble than they’re worth, but stick with the ones that are effective.
If you miss a day, don’t fret; just commit to picking it back up the next day.
2) Make Sure Your Children Have a Place to Study
Children benefit from having a dedicated place to study. Even if it can’t be an entire room, having their own nook to which they can leave distractions behind and go study will benefit them.
This is not the place to be if there are any distractions nearby, such as televisions, video games, or other screens (with the exception of a computer dedicated to schoolwork). Remember that your child may lack the motivation to study when they are distracted by things they would rather be doing. Some tips for your child’s study space include:
- Provide them with a desk
- Make sure they have a comfortable chair
- Limit food in the study area (but encourage taking regular food breaks somewhere else)
- A nook in a shared space can work if it’s not distracting
Remember, a messy desk is a used desk. Sometimes, you may have to tolerate some untidiness if the disorder is not keeping them from completing tasks and studying effectively.
3) Practice Proper Nutrition and Exercise
Your child’s diet and exercise profoundly impact their ability to study effectively. From UVA Today:
“There is pretty solid evidence that children who are hungry are not able to focus, so they have a low attention span, behavioral issues, discipline issues in the school,” - Sibylle Kranz.
The CDC advises foods that are high in dietary fiber and low in fat for learning and growing children. Fruits and vegetables, complete grains, and protein-rich diets will make kids feel happy and full while also enhancing their capacity to concentrate and transfer what they're learning to memory.
In addition to helping your child eat the right types of food, exercise is vital for studying. It may seem counterintuitive to spend time doing something other than studying, but if your elementary or middle school student is not getting enough exercise, they are going to have trouble focusing on their studies.
Other Benefits of Proper Nutrition and Exercise for Children Include:
- Obesity in children is reduced by proper nutrition and diet.
- High blood pressure, heart disease, and Type 2 diabetes can all be reduced by eating healthy foods.
- Your children will have more energy if they eat a balanced diet.
- Your kid may be more interested in fitness activities if they have more energy.
- Cavities and dental problems should be less common as a result of fewer sugary snacks.
In order to ensure your child eats well and exercises frequently, parents have to know when it’s time to take a break from the books.
4) Know When to Take Breaks
In addition to scheduling times to study, you have to schedule times to take breaks. When studying exceeds forty-five minutes, make sure your child takes a five to ten-minute break. While this might seem like a waste of time, it can often be the best thing for your child’s brain.
How can you make sure you have time to take a break? It goes back to establishing your study calendar. Build break time into the daily schedule. If you find that you don’t have time for breaks, then it will
5) Make a Plan with Your Child’s Teacher(s)
You may remember thinking of your teachers as mean taskmasters that always assigned too much work. Of course, you now know they only had your best interests at heart when they ruined your evenings and weekends with homework and studying.
Similarly, your child’s teachers are committed to making sure they have every chance at success. They know exactly how to best study their subjects and use their material. They will be happy to help you establish a plan to effectively study for their classes.
At a private Christian institution like St. Paul Lutheran in Northville, your child will benefit from smaller class sizes that provide teachers with opportunities to recognize when students are excelling and need additional challenges or struggling and need a little more help. They will be able to recognize the study methods that work best for your student.
Our supportive community will make sure your child has everything they need to develop study habits that will ensure they excel today and in the future. For more information about our school, contact the team here at St. Paul Lutheran.