Practical tips on how to study with your child

The dog days of summer are here but it won’t be long before school will be back in session. Here are some great tips on how to motivate your child and make them feel successful with their school work.

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Instead of having your child use paper and pencil to do math homework, get two small dry erase boards (about the size of a piece of paper) – one for the student and one for the parent helping with homework.

Do the problem together, each on your own board and compare when finished or use the second board to help walk the child through the correct way of doing the problem.

This helps a child with math challenges to not have stacks of scribbled paper in front of them when they finish a problem, just the successful answer. It helps cut down on frustration when you can simply wipe away the incorrect part of the homework and redo without having to start from scratch. This also creates a better visual tool because there’s not a lot of distractions on the board – just the correct way to do the problem.

This system works all the way from 1+1=2 to calculus (that’s assuming you still remember how to do calculus).

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What “style” of learner is your child? Cognitive, visual, auditory, verbal, tactile, experiential or a combination of any or all of the them. Most kids learn best with a combination of styles.

If you know what style your child is, you can help them learn to do homework and study in the most effective way for them. An example would be a child who learns and studies most effectively by hearing the question and saying the answer aloud.

Have your child use the computer or other device to record themselves asking the questions, then pausing briefly, and then stating the answer. They can then use this to study for a test without assistance and in a style that suits them best. Talk to your child and ask questions of them and their teacher to help you determine this style. Do you remember things better when the teacher explains it to you and puts it on the blackboard or when you work the problem on paper or write your notes?

Maximize their learning style and you will find that grades will go up and frustration will go down.

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Most kids study by reading over and being verbally quizzed on all of the material for a test over and over, particularly for really big tests like mid-terms and finals.

They can spend a lot of time going over material that they know by heart. Your student should review or create a study guide (either alone or with someone quizzing them) and mark the items that they know instantly without even thinking about, those they get correct but with a little thought and those that they don’t have a clue as to the correct answer.

Focus your child’s study on material that they DON’T know and simply quickly review that which they DO know.Encourage them to spend time learning what they don’t know and don’t waste time studying something that they do know.