30.01.2020
Every child succeeds when faced with well-planned tasks at a level appropriate to their developmental stage and difficulty level. What leads a child to avoid responsibility and fail is believing they are facing a challenge they cannot overcome. A common difficulty for many school-aged children is studying.
One of the most important factors in improving school success is children acquiring effective study skills. Supporting a child at home is as important as supporting them at school in developing effective study skills. Providing this support while maintaining the boundaries of parenting and teaching roles will be effective in helping the child acquire this skill.
The first skill a child needs to develop effective study skills is planning. To help them develop daily planning skills, ensure they create their own plan. (They should create a schedule and decide what they will do tomorrow, for how long, and during which time interval – e.g., between 7 PM and 9 PM). You can support them by telling them you will help them with planning if they find it difficult. An example plan might include: You can guide your child to include daily subject review, homework completion, sample question solutions, activities related to their interests in sports or art, reading time, and a weekly comprehensive subject review. You can ensure they post their study schedule in a visible place. This will reduce the need for reminders.
You can ensure their room and desk are suitable for studying (sufficiently lit, quiet). You can ensure that technological devices are not present in the study environment (tablet, TV, PC).
If studying in a digital environment is necessary, you can ensure that the technological device is kept in the study environment for a limited time and then removed. You can ensure that they are alone while studying, except in cases where they are not progressing on the subject, and that they receive help from a parent after all the studying is finished.
Check how well the plan has been followed at the end of the day; these details are essential features of a successful study plan.
By researching your child's dominant learning areas, you can create a study environment using methods suitable for this learning style. During the process, the positive behaviors and successes the child achieves should be appreciated, and this should be shared with the child. This will remind the child that success is achieved consciously and deliberately, not by chance.
In addition to all this, the child should be supported with patience and determination, taking into account the developmental characteristics of the child's stage. Reading about the developmental characteristics of this age group from developmental theorists Piaget and Ericson is recommended.
