Developing Good Study Habits for Your Kids

Teaching a child good study habits will not only make homework time easier, it will also help him earn better grades. Study skills are a foundational skill for school success, and what they learn in lower grades will serve them well for years to come.

Before diving into homework, work with your child to figure out what works best for him. Instead of trying to dictate what time your child should do his homework or what environment he works best in, work as a team to figure it out. When a child is part of developing a plan or coming up with a solution to a problem, he’s much more likely to follow through. Also, every person, whether it’s adult or child, has different needs. What works great for you may not work at all for your child. By letting him take the lead in creating good study habits, you’ll make sure they fit his needs.

Get on a schedule. Some kids do better when they have a short break between getting home from school and doing their homework. Other kids do better when they tackle homework after dinner. And others work best in cycles of 30 minutes of homework followed by 30 minutes of play time. The set-up doesn’t matter nearly as much as having a consistent schedule that fits your child’s temperament and attention span. Try different approaches and see which ones fits his needs best. Give each approach at least one full week before deciding to move onto something different. Your child’s homework schedule will probably change according to his after school activities, but you can incorporate what you know into the updated schedule (e.g. he works best after a snack, he has a hard time with TV transitions so it’s best to do homework before TV time, etc.). As your child gets older, he’ll know what time management approach works best for him and he’ll understand the importance of carving out time to focus on homework, studying, and projects.
Create a learning environment. Teaching your child how to create an environment that supports him in doing homework and studying is a key study skill. Although some kids are unbothered by a cluttered area, most children and adults do their best work when their work space is clean and organized. For children with ADD or ADHD, having an organized work area is essential. Noise is also an important part of a learning environment. Having the TV on is never a good idea. Some kids need absolute silence and others work well with music in the background. Before even sitting down, make sure to have all the necessary supplies on hand so your child doesn’t have to stop what he’s doing to go find an eraser or grab more paper. Phones and social media sites should be off limits during homework time. Texts, IMs, Tweets, and other updates create a constant flow of distractions and can derail even the best student. Teaching your child what type of environment works best for him will allow him to recreate that environment wherever he goes. As he gets older and his schedule gets more demanding, he’ll be able to effectively study at a friend’s house, at the school library, or any other place he’s at between activities.
Set up an organizational system. Being organized and having a study plan and a time table are essential in developing good study habits. Most schools require or suggest a spiral daily calendar so your child can write down his homework assignments each day. Make sure this calendar is handy when he sits down to do his homework so he can see each assignment, item by item.
Projects due at a later date usually require additional time and effort so sit down with your child and develop a plan to get it done. Help your child break the project into smaller, more manageable steps and create a timeline to get everything done. Have a larger calendar where you can record each step along with final project due dates, test dates, and other activities related to the child’s schedule. That way you’ll know if a softball game conflicts with a weekend writing session.
Find a convenient place to keep all handouts. Sheets listing weekly spelling words, study guides for upcoming tests, project outlines, and other important paperwork can go on a bulletin board or inside a binder or a file folder. The system that works best for you and your child depends on your home’s space, how much paperwork you have, and your personal preferences. Make sure that as your child gets older, he takes on more and more responsibility for emptying his backpack and putting papers in the agreed upon area.

Homework and study time don’t have to be a nightly battle. With some creative planning, you and your child can work together to create a schedule, space, and system that works for you both.
Source: Become a Nanny

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8 Tips to Relieve Homework Stress

After a long and relaxing summer getting back into schedule can sometimes be difficult. Adding homework to that equation can be a bit stressful.

Here are 8 tips to consider before school starts to help your school year go smoothly:

1. Offer encouragement. Give your child praise for efforts and for completing assignments.
2. Be available. Encourage your child to do the work independently, but be available for assistance.
3. Maintain a schedule. Establish a set time to do homework each day. You may want to use a calendar to keep track of assignments and due dates.
4. Designate space. Provide a space for homework, stocked with necessary supplies, such as pencils, pens, paper, dictionaries, a computer, and other reference materials.
5. Provide discipline. Help your child focus on homework by removing distractions, such as television, radio, telephone, and interruptions from siblings and friends.
6. Be a role model. Consider doing some of your work, such as paying bills or writing letters, during your child's homework time.
7. Be supportive. Talk to your child about difficulties with homework. Be willing to talk to your child's teacher to resolve problems in a positive manner.
8. Involvement. Familiarize yourself with the teacher's homework policy. Make sure that you and your child understand the teacher's expectations. At the beginning of the year, you may want to ask your child's teacher these questions: What kinds of assignments will you give? How often do you give homework? How much time are the students expected to spend on them? What type of involvement do you expect from parents?

Homework Help: Free Sites to Assist Your Kids with their Homework

Is the stress of homework getting you down? Do you need some help studying for that final exam but don’t know where to turn? If so, you will find this list of 10 online homework helper sites is just what you need to get the learning-ball rolling again.

The best part of these sites is that they are all available to you FREE of charge!

1. Cliff Notes.com This site is basic and probably one of the easiest to navigate, but don’t let that fool you; there are informational study aides for all high school subjects. Cliff notes: they’re not just for literature anymore.
2. Infoplease has several interactive tools that will ease your learning. There are calculators for distances, a conversion chart, a place to find latitudes and longitudes, a thesaurus and atlas and dictionary, quizzes and timelines! When it comes to needing homework help and information, this is the place to go!
3. At Discovery Education you will find multimedia resources to help you complete and excel with those tough assignments. This site also includes a huge assortment of parent and teacher resources, so everyone can find something to do and learn.
4. Scholastic is not just for book orders. This site has a “homework hub” of activities that reinforce learning, while at the same time allows you to have some fun.
5. Fact Monster: is a site of lists and lists of facts, but that’s not all; it is brimming with information, quizzes, reference materials, encyclopedia, almanac, and links to other sites. You need it? It’s here!
6. Even the well known site, Yahoo, can help you with your homework. This site gives you the opportunity to post your question and get a specific answer. The nice thing is that all the other posted questions from the past are archived, so you can go through those questions and answers to find even more information.
7. The Homework Spot is your homework connection place, with links to hundreds of other sites for information on every subject. Because it is organized by grade level, the homework help you need is easy to find. Help for all ages and subjects are just a click away.
8. One of the pages that homeworkspot.com links to is Ed helper . This is a great site where you will find actual worksheets for practicing skills in all areas from pre-k to high school level.
9. Let’s focus on one subject this time: Math. This site is math, math and more math; everything you’ve always needed to know about math, from practice sets to games, tools and links to online tutors.  This site has it all.
10. Jiskha.com is another one of those sites that allows you to post questions about all subject areas. This site is quite similar to the Yahoo site with one added feature: if you are in a hurry or really don’t “get –it” you can chat “real time” with a tutor who will help.  There is a cost of $.99/minute for this service, which may be well worth the cost!

When looking for help with your homework you might also want to consider contacting your local library. Many libraries have online tutoring/Q and A sessions, all for free.  Also, if you prefer a more one-on-one instructional format for homework help, there are several other sites that will connect you with a tutor for a fee.

Source:  Internet Provider

Sue Scheff: Students Being Paid for Good Grades

We have heard about this controversy lately. Like with many situations, there are several sides of the story. Many can remember being rewarded for a good report card, however today it almost seems like we are paying our kids to do well – in reality, shouldn’t they want to be successful so someday they will earn their own money? Let’s not answer that – today’s society is a new generation. I am not speaking about all teens, however the sense of entitlement has reached a level that is disturbing to many parents and teachers.

Recently I read an article by Connect with Kids about “A Little Incentive” that offers tips that can help you make a decision that is best for your family. Take the time to read this. Be an educated parent and weigh both sides of the issue.

Tips for Parents

Is it a good idea to give cash in exchange for good grades? That is something each family must discuss and decide. Evaluate your teen's grades. If the grades are good, continue with the plan you are using. If the grades could use some improvement, take the opportunity to discuss the importance of good grades. Explain how good grades will help them children into the college of their choice.

If this does not work, consider a reward system. Ask them what they would like to receive for grades. If money seems to be the best motivator, but you are not comfortable handing over cash for them to "blow," you do have some options that will motivate and educate.
One option is to take the opportunity to teach your teen the value of a dollar. Family Education Network suggests the following tips:

Once a dollar amount is established, sit down with your teen and establish a money management program or financial plan.

Begin by designating 35 percent of their "grade money" as free spending money. This would be theirs to do spend as they wish. At least half, in this example 65 percent, must be saved.

Your teen can open their own savings account, or if you are stock and mutual fund savvy, try to get them investing early and on a regular basis.

Have your teen give a percentage, 10 percent for example, to charity. If you are uncomfortable with rewarding good grades, consider other options for helping them achieve academic success. One of the most important things you can do to help your teen succeed in school is to become involved. Consider the following ideas suggested by the American Federation of Teachers:

Know your child's school family. The teacher is the primary player in your child's school environment, but there are others (such as counselors and librarians) who make a valuable contribution. Attending parent-teacher conferences, open-school nights and other events are the best way to get acquainted with these important people.

Expect success at school. Children work best when they know what you expect of them. Discuss these expectations with your children -- expectations for good grades, attendance and study habits. Encourage them to take courses that will challenge them, but not overwhelm them. For example, high school students usually can choose from several English courses and several mathematics courses. Discuss these and other course options with your children. Make sure they are choosing courses that will interest and challenge them.

View unsatisfactory grades as an opportunity. All parents want their children to receive good marks and advance to the next grade, but do not expect a teacher to give your children a grade or honor that they have not deserved. Make it clear to your child that grades are not ''given'' - they are earned. If your child receives an unsatisfactory report card, use this as an opportunity to restate your own commitment to high standards. Discuss with your child (and the teacher) what he or she will need to do differently to improve the grade and advance to the next level.

Help your child keep pace. Absences, family problems and other distractions make it difficult for a student to keep up with lessons and assignments during the school day. Ask a teacher if your school district offers after-school tutoring, summer programs or other activities that can prevent your child from falling behind.

Monitor your teen's part-time job. For many teenagers, holding a part-time job is an important rite of passage into adulthood. It teaches students about the working world and how to manage money. But a part-time job can cut into study time and add to the stress of teen years. Grades can fall, and attendance can suffer

References: American Federation of Teachers, Family Education Network, New York Post article, Reuters, Connect with Kids

Also on Examiner.com

Sue Scheff: Homework Wars

Source: Connect with Kids

“You come home from school – you do homework first, then you have free time.”

– Darlene Duvall, a mother

For years, parent surveys showed that lots of moms and dads worried that their children were overloaded with too much homework. But that may be changing. A new study from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln reports that most parents believe the amount of homework these days is just about right. Of course, that doesn’t mean their kids see it that way.

When 16-year-old Christian and 10-year-old Christopher arrive home from school, the rule is homework comes first. “We tried it other ways, and they ended up not getting their homework done,” explains the boys’ mother, Darlene Duvall.

Homework is first, but there’s no yelling and no pestering from mom or dad.

“They let me do what I have to do to finish my homework. They won’t beat down on me, be like, ‘you gotta do your homework, you gotta do your homework,’” Christian says.

It’s a kind of freedom that teaches responsibility. But what if your child abuses the freedom?

“Then the parent says OK, you said I could trust you to do this on your own, to leave you alone, and you’ve messed up. Now, it’s not going to be that way anymore,” says Bob Macris, a high school curriculum director.

Macris says parents should start by telling their children they can’t play until the homework is done. Then, check their work and ask questions. “Do they really understand? You know Johnny, you wrote this down. What exactly does this mean?” Macris says.

The problem is, sometimes that just starts a fight.

“The time to take a second look at homework is when a child and a parent get to a level when they really are just yelling and screaming at each other and not communicating,” Macris advises.

If that happens, the key is to find someone else to whom your child will listen: the other parent, an older sibling or maybe a tutor.

“And the kids will feel a lot better about it, and so will the parent. But the parents should still follow up and make sure that the kid is doing what he or she is supposed to be doing,” Macris says.

Tips for Parents
What should you do if your child hates homework and doesn’t complete assignments on time or at all? The U.S. Department of Education has some advice. The department’s National Parent Information Network (NPIN) suggests that parents call someone at school when homework problems arise. Everyone needs to work together – the school, teachers, parents and the student – to solve the problems. If your child refuses to do assignments, call his or her teacher. If you and your child can’t understand the homework instructions, call the teacher. The teacher may also be able to help you get your child organized to do the homework. The NPIN says different homework problems require different solutions:

■Does your child have a hard time finishing assignments on time? Maybe he or she has poor study skills and needs help getting organized.
■Is the homework too difficult? Maybe your child has fallen behind and needs special help from a teacher or tutor.
■Is your child bored with the homework? Maybe it’s too easy and your child needs extra assignments that give more challenge.
The NPIN suggests asking your child these questions to combat any problems about homework that may arise:

■What’s your assignment today?
■Is the assignment clear? (If not, suggest calling the school’s homework hotline or a classmate.)
■Do you need special resources (a trip to the library or access to a computer)?
■Do you need special supplies (graph paper, poster board, etc.)?
■Have you started today’s assignment? Have you completed it?
■Is it a long-term assignment (a term paper or science project)?
■For a major project, would it be helpful to write out the steps or make a schedule?
■Would a practice test be useful?
What kind of “homework help” should parents give their children? The Chicago Public Schools offers this advice:

■Encouragement: Give your child praise for efforts and for completing assignments.
■Availability: Encourage your child to do the work independently, but be available for assistance.
■Scheduling: Establish a set time to do homework each day. You may want to use a calendar to keep track of assignments and due dates.
■Space: Provide a space for homework, stocked with the necessary supplies, such as pencils, pens, paper, dictionaries, a computer and other reference materials.
■Discipline: Help your child focus on homework by removing distractions, such as television, radio, telephone and interruptions from siblings and friends.
■Modeling: Consider doing some of your work, such as paying bills or writing letters, during your child’s homework time.
■Support: Talk to your child about difficulties with homework. Be willing to talk to your child’s teacher to resolve problems in a positive manner.
■Involvement: Familiarize yourself with the teacher’s homework policy. Make sure that you and your child understand the teacher’s expectations. At the beginning of the year, you may want to ask your child’s teacher these questions – What kinds of assignments will you give? How often do you give homework? How much time are the students expected to spend on them? What type of involvement do you expect from parents?

References
■Chicago Public Schools
■National Parent Information Network

Homework Help Tip Sheet

“Schools should teach kids how to learn, and parents should teach them how to work by establishing work rules and work ethic at home.” – Dr. Mel Levine, Co-Founder and Co-Chair, All Kinds of Minds Homework provides an opportunity for ...

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