Study-Smart Tips: Balancing Studies & Play

“It really saddens me when  I see a parent forcing their child to study just because they have  personal ambitions like an award or recognition. Yes these things may be important but we should not forget that kids should enjoy their childhood. You must keep everything in balance so that they or  perhaps you won’t have any regret in the future.”

 

apple dictionaryStriking the right balance between studies and play-time can be immensely stressful for parents. That’s why we’ve come up with these study-smart tips to help parents as we navigate the ocean of formal schooling in Singapore.The worries are endless – will my child lag behind the other children in his class? Am I stressing my child out by being too ‘kiasu’? What if he starts to hate studying?

That said, managing your own stress is crucial: When the stress on parents becomes overwhelming, they might project their own anxieties onto their child, making communication and healthy learning experiences even harder to achieve. What we need are study-smart strategies for academic studies. It isn’t about clocking study hours or how many tuition classes you sign your child up for. Rather, bring study-smart means focusing on values and strategies that a child can learn and incorporate into his studying habits.

These five tips will help you crate a more positive and conducive studying environment for your child.

Good Study Habits

1. Develop organisation skills through timetables
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Following a timetable can benefit lethargic and poorly motivated children: After understanding the concept of time and responsibility, children will display more drive to accomplish set tasks. This is especially so if they can see that play-time has already been scheduled for them and they have something concrete to look forward to. To fully involve your children, get them to draw and decorate their own timetable.

Their contribution to the timetable will hopefully translate into commitment in timekeeping. Let your child know that this is their personal timetable and they have to take charge of it. This gives them a sense of ownership and responsibility. To follow up on this method, review the timetable with them at the end of each day for the first week and gradually reduce that frequency to allow your child to display independence.

2. Reducing distractions during study-time

Studying environments are closely tied to studying habits. Maintaining a stable and quiet environment for studying will train your child to focus fully on the task at hand. What all this means for a parent is to never let your child do homework while watching TV. Some families have their study areas set up in the living room. If that is the case, all family members should try their best to lower their volumes and minimise interaction with the child. Keep siblings away to prevent squabbling and playing, or better still, make them all do homework in silence together.

Cultivating concentration is very beneficial in the long run. Your child will develop an attention span that will carry him well through leisure reading, lessons and most importantly, exams. If study sessions mimic exam conditions, your child will be better prepared and less …

 

Read more: http://singaporemotherhood.com/articles/2015/06/study-smart-tips-balancing-studies-play/

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