4 ways to help children study more effectively

If your kids wait until the last minute to prepare for tests and don't seem to focus at homework time, you may wonder how to encourage better study skills. Try these 4 ways to help your kids study more effectively.

Note taking is generally thought to help children learn information better because the act of writing solidifies ideas in the mind. Encourage your children to take notes in the following areas:

• Any concept that is repeated often
• All main lesson ideas
• Anything written on the board

Parents can encourage efficiency by asking children to study a bit at a time. For example, if your children review the notes they take in class daily, it will be easier for them to study come test time because they will already know most of the information. Even an extra 10 minutes of study each day can make a difference.

If children do not have a set time for homework and study, these tasks will often be neglected until the last possible opportunity. You can help your children develop good study habits by establishing a daily routine for completing schoolwork. The exact time doesn't matter as much as the consistency of sticking with the same time each day, such as right after school ends or just after supper.

Parents can help their children succeed in school and establish better study habits by teaching them how to identify the important information that is likely to come up in a test. A few simple tips can often help any child perform better in school – for example, teaching your children that items in a book that are bold, italicized or otherwise emphasized tend to be the key points to remember. You can also teach them to look for the answers in a passage based on the keywords in a question.

Study time does not have to be a stressful event. With just a few simple strategies, you can teach your children a few shortcuts that will help them learn more from their textbooks, reduce homework stress and increase test scores.