Help Kids Study Smarter, Not Harder

By Cari Diaz
Edited by Amy Crelly

It seems like children have more homework than ever before. Yet there’s been no shortage of news about how children in schools across the country are failing to keep up. When students are working harder and still getting poor grades, clearly there’s an underlying problem. The problem is that many children don’t have the study skills they need in order to succeed in the classroom.

A major key to educational success is having strong study skills. Unfortunately, most schools don’t teach children how to study. Instead, they pile them up with homework assignments and leave them on their own to figure out the best way to go about studying. Additionally, most parents don’t think to teach their children how to study and those who do often aren’t sure where to start.

“Having good study habits is a skill that is learned,” explains Cari Diaz, of Club Z!, an education company with locations in Sacramento, Elk Grove, Gold River and Davis. “Children aren’t born knowing how to study any more than they are born knowing how to read. They need to be taught the most effective way to study in order to excel.”

According to the National Education Association, children in grades 3-6 can handle up to one hour per day of homework (older kids can handle more). For the most part that hour per day may be wasted if the child doesn’t know how to effectively utilize the time. To help students succeed, parents can try the following strategies:

• Create an ideal study space
Ensure your student has a distraction-free zone (no TV, toys or Internet entertainment access), with plenty of space for books and papers, all the school supplies they might need (paper, pencils, dictionary, etc.) and good lighting. (For more on how to create an A+ study space, check out our design ideas on page TKTK.)

• Show them how to organize and plan ahead
Keep their school materials organized in a planner and use a calendar to mark important exams and project due dates.

• Coach them through setbacks
Have kids take breaks when they become frustrated, and help them get back to work when they’re calm again. Learning how to manage their own emotions allows students to complete assignments on their own with more success.

• Know your child’s learning style
We all have a preferred learning style. Visual learners need diagrams, handouts and often learn by reading and taking notes; auditory learners often comprehend better when they read aloud or can bounce ideas off of others; tactile learners prefer 3-D models to two-dimensional drawings and learn best through interactive, hands-on lessons. Helping your child identify his or her learning style, and how to study accordingly, can help make learning easier.

“Once you give a student the tools they need to really understand how to study,” says Diaz, “their confidence level increases and they become more engaged in the whole learning process.”

Club Z! offers one-on-one study skills programs for students of all ages and all learning styles, addressing both classroom and homework skills.