Study Tips That Can Help Your Kids Stay Focused during Middle and High
School
If you have a child in their teenage years, you already know just how busy their lives, and
yours, can be. Oftentimes, teens get so busy that they find it difficult to focus on one
thing at a time, often leading to declining grades. One way that you can help your teen do
better academically, and in all other areas of life, is to teach them good organizational
skills and study habits. By helping your teen realize the importance of organization, what
time they do spend on homework and studying will be maximized, meaning that they do
better in school, and have more time to pursue other interests.
If you are at home when your kids come home from school, you can probably attest to the
fact that the first thing they do when they walk in the door is drop their stuff and head off
for some fun and food, before even thinking about their homework or studying for that
big test. There is nothing wrong with taking some time to unwind and get a snack, as long
as it is a quick break, and then right back to the studies. It is all too easy for your teen to
get involved in other activities, and shove their homework to the back of their mind,
meaning that they either have to stay up late to get it done, or they just neglect it
altogether. You may even convince your teen to try coming home, grabbing a light snack,
and then taking a short nap, so that they are more relaxed, and more prepared to do their
homework. However you do it, it is important that you stress the importance of not
procrastinating when it comes to their daily assignments and studies, that after a snack
and a few minutes of break-time, homework and studying has to be done before anything
else.
You should also make certain that your teen has a clean, quiet, well-organized space in
which to do homework and study. Make certain that the desk or area is well stocked with
pens, pencils, paper, etc. Everything should be placed within easy reach, and you should
make sure that you think about your teen�s comfort and personal preferences when
designing the area.
For chronic procrastinators, or those who often just skip their homework completely, you
may have to check after them to make sure everything is complete. If your child comes
home from school at 4pm, create a rule that all homework and studying has to be turned
into you no later than 7pm, and that nothing else can be done until you have the
assignment in your hands. Your children may not like you, but they will get better grades,
and learn to accept the fact that they have to do homework, if they ever hope to have any
free time of their own.
If your teenager gets bombarded with a lot of homework everyday, allow time for a break
every half-hour or so, give them about ten minutes to grab a drink, or go outside, etc. You
may have to monitor breaks for chronic procrastinators, but once your children learn that
you are not going to bend on the rule, they will start to accept it. Breaks will help your
child stay focused on the task at hand, whether it is reading, or writing an essay.
It can be a nightmare trying to fight your children, particularly teenagers, to get their
homework done, at a reasonable time. Many of them want to wait until the very last
minute, often staying up well into the night to finish an assignment or study for a test, and
not only is the quality of work usually bad, they usually feel bad and have no energy the
next day, compounding the issue. So, if your child has bad homework or study habits, the
sooner you take control and change things, the better for everyone involved!
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