Developing Effective Study Habits Helps All Children Succeed in School
With school mostly underway, we’re blogging about simple and effective study habits this month. In addition to good homework habits, Little Wiggles & Giggles Learning Center knows children establishing study habits can reap rewards. Developing study habits makes it easier for children to learn and do well, especially in secondary and post-secondary settings. While children study at different paces and levels depending on ages and abilities, all children benefit from study habits like:
- Choosing to Stay Focused in School
- Developing Their Note Taking Skills
- Trying to Take Breaks While Studying at Home
- Stopping in Time to Get a Good Night’s Sleep
Study Habits in School: Try to Stay Focused, and Do Effective Note Taking
Two study habits that help children succeed in school are when they stay focused, and develop effective note taking skills. Seems obvious, right? When children stay focused, and pay attention in class, while doing note taking, they retain information better. They develop these study habits by following some simple steps.
Follow These Steps to Take So You Stay Focused in Class
- Make Sure to Be Hydrated and Well-Rested
- Eliminate Distractions (Turn Off Cell Phones, Music Players, etc.)
- Ask Questions and Engage in Discussion
Learn Effective Note Taking Skills
- Discern what to write during your note taking (Example: teacher puts info on the whiteboard or chalkboard, or info’s included in a presentation)
- Write phrases, not in complete sentences, and use abbreviations and symbols
- Audio-record the lesson, listen later, and add to notes
At Home Study Habits: Take Brief Breaks and Get a Good Night’s Sleep
While taking notes and striving to stay focused at school are good study habits, so are various at-home study habits. When studying at home, children should take brief breaks as often as reasonably necessary. Kids who take brief breaks as a study habit have a better time refocusing.
In general, human brains have a 45-minute maximum attention span. Therefore, every 45 minutes or so, kids should take brief breaks from studying; we recommend 10-15 minutes. Regardless of whether kids take brief breaks, however, no study habits will prove effective without a good night’s sleep.
The Results from Getting Versus Not Getting a Good Night’s Sleep
According to www.sleepfoundation.org, a good night’s sleep enables brains to both process and retain information. Furthermore, a 2012 study showed that not getting a good night’s sleep in order to study actually backfires. Most medical professionals agree that a good night’s sleep to optimize focus and alertness is seven to eight hours.
For more information about Little Wiggles & Giggles Learning Center, call (570) 208-9125. Like and follow us on Facebook for updates. We’d be happy to share more simple and effective study habits.
