How to Start the School Year Off with Good Study Habits
With summer coming to an end, it’s time to get your kids ready for the new school year.
Instead of using the planners with big blocks of space (Monday – Friday) to cram in homework assignments (this is the kind schools provide, if they provide a planner at all), use a planner that displays all 7 days equally.
After all, they’ll need weekends to do projects and to study!
Ask your kids to enter in their planners, all classes, after-school activities, appointments, and other scheduled meetings.
With each day divided into 15-minute increments, your kids will have the opportunity to plan when they’ll do homework, study for tests, and hang out with friends. Most kids are unrealistic about how long it will take to complete homework assignments or to study for tests. Typically, they underestimate by 50%, which causes stress and lowers their GPAs. By asking them to block off time in their planners to complete each assignment, they’ll begin to see how much overall time is needed to get everything done by the end of the night.
Most students have trouble with planning how to do large projects. They wait until the eleventh hour and cram to finish it way past their bedtimes. Besides causing strife for the entire family, they really aren’t engaged in the learning process. They’re just throwing it together to get it done, and you’re probably helping them more than you should be.
By using the right kind of planner, students can plan ahead. They simply enter the project due date in the planner and then enter all of the steps needed to get it done. By blocking off time to get each task done, they’ll be able to do this without compromising their other homework, after school activities, and friends.
After your kids have entered in their planners all scheduled activities and they’ve blocked off time to get work done, all they need to do is that day’s tasks. No more stressing out about upcoming tests because study plans should already be entered so they (and you!) can rest assured knowing that they will be prepared. They can see all of the work they need to do and they’ll be more inclined to stay on task when they know that they only have a designated amount of time to complete it.
As they finish each task, they highlight it to indicate that the job is done. Kids like that sense of satisfaction as they highlight tasks. Unlike lists of homework or chores, this planner system empowers kids to block off time to do each task. That way if there is too much going on one day, they can cross off the task and move it to another day.
Have Family Meetings once a week to motivate your kids to use and follow their planners. By reviewing their progress and making sure that they’ve completed homework, studied for exams, and finished chores, you can reward them with privileges.
When they ask if they can play or go out with friends, simply ask to see their planners. If everything for that day is highlighted, then they’re free to go. If not, just tell them to ask again after everything is done. To make sure that they don’t erase tasks to hide them from you, check their planners often so you are aware of what’s going on in their lives.
You’ll find that your kids will become better students and more responsible when they use a real planner. Get them off to a new, organized start this year.
Wondering what kind of magical planner can do all of this? Well, it just so happens that I have created one! It comes in two handy sizes, and it covers a whole year of planning goodness. You can order a large size here, and a mini version here.
