Parents should instill strong study habits and routines from the time their children start first grade. It is always advisable to have a comfortable area with natural light to study and do homework. This task area should not be near a source of distraction, such as a television. If you are lucky enough to have a designated study in your home, it would be a good idea to add an extra kindergarten table for your child in this work area.

If your child is going to study in their bedroom, then a designated table and chair should be available. It’s a good idea to have a comfortable chair near a floor lamp for reading activities. Teach your child to be organized in her work area. Make sure all study and homework resources are available for your use. You can use a desk organizer for pencils and rulers and use the desk drawers for glue, scissors, etc. Alternatively, a small bookcase placed above the workbench would serve as a storage unit for stationery and paper.

You can start teaching your child organizational skills by color-coding files and the like according to learning areas or subjects. Teach your child how to turn the pages of a book and take care of books from the time he is a toddler. Keep all textbooks and school books covered with thick or contact plastic to preserve them and prolong their useful life. Respect for books is one of the pillars of long-term academic success.

Once you have organized the study area and the necessary resources; move on to study clothes. Let your child see you mark homework items in your homework journal and start modeling an essential organizing and planning routine from day one. Slowly begin to encourage your child to physically cross out or mark homework as he or she has completed it. A whiteboard and non-permanent marker also work well for to-do lists.

Help your child establish solid study skills as early as possible. Create mind maps on the board or A3 paper once your child can read. From the third grade, mind maps will prove to be an invaluable tool for summarizing and memorizing. Buy colored markers and have your child create her own headers and content for review purposes.

Help your child learn to learn through teaching keeping in mind that “the best way to learn is by teaching” Encourage your child to study and then explain the work, pretending that you have never been taught the work before. The objective of the exercise is for your child to simplify the concepts for you, which will be an indication of how well he has understood the work himself. If he’s too busy to be taught new work every day, you can set up a classroom with teddy bears or other stuffed toys to play the role of the class members your child teaches. Little brothers and sisters are also very helpful as substitute members of the class.

Teach your child to review previously covered work before moving on to a new section of work. Daily review of class work is a powerful tool to ensure long-term academic success. Once your child can write proficiently, summary notes are the way to go. Encourage your child to make these notes visually appealing and reduce the summary to a mind map for a quick review before the test.

The most fatal study skills mistake any child can make is sitting passively reading a textbook or other resource, such as a brochure, and claiming that he. Make sure your child is engaged in active study skills, such as note taking, from the earliest age possible. If he’s learning for a spelling test, for example, help him break words into syllables (more manageable parts) and write them several times before evaluating the words. You can check if your child has understood the words by asking him or her to verbally or physically (write) the words in a sentence.

In summary, the five good study habits are: find a suitable place dedicated to study without interruptions or distractions; organize your study space; make lists and plan homework and study assignments daily; actively summarize work into smaller parts; and check daily.