How do I get my kid to study?
It is a very rare child that enjoys studying, and so it can be difficult to convince your child that revising for upcoming exams is a great idea. Although you may feel like you are fighting a losing battle, getting your child to study effectively can be made much easier by putting certain elements in place that will help.
Help set a timetable
Obviously, a timetable of revision will help your child portion out the required amount of time for each subject, but there is much more to a revision timetable than just blocks of study. As the parent, help them see the bigger picture. Insert areas of downtime into their schedule, as if they can visualize periods when they will be able to relax, they are going to be more enthusiastic about getting the blocks of study out of the way.
It is worth knowing that hours upon hours of revision without breaks is not conducive to learning. Split the study into manageable two-hour blocks, with a ten-minute period at the end which you can use to do a fun quiz with your child on the topic they have just revised. After the quiz should be a ten-minute break, but not of screen time, or of anything they will find difficult to step away from. As time goes on, increase the daily amount of study, and the blocks of revision time.
Send them online
This may seem counterproductive when you want your child to study and not chat with their friends on social media, but online resources could help with some aspects of studying. Reviewyt.com has some fantastic resources regarding writing essays which could help your child prepare for any exams requiring in-depth essays. Just make sure they don’t get distracted and wander onto non-educational sites by placing a block on any sites you don’t want them to visit while they are studying.
Let them have fun!
Once a timetable has been established, make it clear that at the end of each day of revision your child can hang out with friends, play their favorite game, or just relax. These periods of relaxation can alleviate stress and play a role in preparing them for the next day of study. Knowing they have something to look forward to at the end of each day is an incentive that can encourage meaningful study prior to the “reward” of downtime.
Feed their mind and their body
A healthy diet is more important now, more than ever, and ensuring your child is eating properly will certainly help when it comes to studying. Hungry tums contribute to lack of concentration, so encourage your child to have a healthy, nutritional, and filling breakfast before embarking on their day of study.
Every couple of hours they should have a healthy snack of fruit and nuts, and a longer break should be taken in the middle of the day to sit with the family and eat a light lunch. A bigger meal in the middle of the day can cause lethargy, so save the more filling meal for after revision has been completed. Hydration is imperative to concentration also, and so drinking of water throughout the day should be encouraged.
