Tips for Parents:
WAYS TO HELP YOUR CHILD BE AT HIS/HER BEST FOR TEST TAKING:
- Be sure your child gets a good night's sleep.
- Be sure your child wears comfortable clothes to school.
- Be sure your child has a good breakfast before going to school
- Avoid disagreements and arguments the night before testing and the morning of the test.
- Be sure you remind your child to do his/her best. Learn to take testing seriously.
Tips for Students:
1. Regular Time: Set up a regular time to study and don’t alter it. This is very important for setting up a routine for studying, which is a key to good homework habits. You could use an alarm clock to remind you when study time begins, when a break occurs, and/or when it’s over. Routines develop into good habits, and you will become so used to studying at that time, it will feel natural to do it.
2. Regular Place: Again, having a regular place in the home where you go to study will help you establish a routine that will quickly turn homework into a habit. Probably the most important thing to keep in mind when choosing a study spot is to keep it away from distractions, especially the television. Another idea to consider is, although the bedroom can be a fine place to do homework, it is probably best not to do it actually on the bed. Since the bed is the place for sleeping at night, doing your homework there in the afternoon could interfere with that routine.
3. Regular Procedure: Establish a regular procedure that you follow each night as you work on your homework. Make sure that you are comfortable with it, and if some part of the procedure isn’t working don’t be afraid to change it-- your studying methods need to match your tastes. A regular routine may look something like this:
1. 10 minutes - Begin with an activity that has nothing to do with homework. Read a story with an adult. Ask them to read aloud to you or take turns reading paragraphs.
2. 5 minutes - Take out the assignment you are going to work on or the information you will study. Preread it or skim it to get the main ideas. It might be a good idea to list three main ideas at first, until you get used to doing this. You could have your parents list 3-4 as well, and then compare your results and discuss. If there are directions from the teacher or book, read through the directions to see if you understand them.
3. 10-15 minutes - Do the assignment, reading, etc. If you are reading information or a story for class the next day, write down three main ideas to help you remember what you read. If you are doing a specific assignment, put question marks by things that you don’t understand. Ask someone to help you understand them, or try moving on and coming back to them later.
4. 5 minutes - Break
5. 10 minutes - Review the assignment with your parent. Work on any questions you have together. Talk about how you came up with the your answers.
6. 5 minutes - Talk about how the assignment/reading that night went. Notice what things you did well on and what things you had trouble with, and ask your parent to do the same. Compare ideas and see if there is anything you should keep in mind for the next time you have a similar assignment.
2. Regular Place: Again, having a regular place in the home where you go to study will help you establish a routine that will quickly turn homework into a habit. Probably the most important thing to keep in mind when choosing a study spot is to keep it away from distractions, especially the television. Another idea to consider is, although the bedroom can be a fine place to do homework, it is probably best not to do it actually on the bed. Since the bed is the place for sleeping at night, doing your homework there in the afternoon could interfere with that routine.
3. Regular Procedure: Establish a regular procedure that you follow each night as you work on your homework. Make sure that you are comfortable with it, and if some part of the procedure isn’t working don’t be afraid to change it-- your studying methods need to match your tastes. A regular routine may look something like this:
1. 10 minutes - Begin with an activity that has nothing to do with homework. Read a story with an adult. Ask them to read aloud to you or take turns reading paragraphs.
2. 5 minutes - Take out the assignment you are going to work on or the information you will study. Preread it or skim it to get the main ideas. It might be a good idea to list three main ideas at first, until you get used to doing this. You could have your parents list 3-4 as well, and then compare your results and discuss. If there are directions from the teacher or book, read through the directions to see if you understand them.
3. 10-15 minutes - Do the assignment, reading, etc. If you are reading information or a story for class the next day, write down three main ideas to help you remember what you read. If you are doing a specific assignment, put question marks by things that you don’t understand. Ask someone to help you understand them, or try moving on and coming back to them later.
4. 5 minutes - Break
5. 10 minutes - Review the assignment with your parent. Work on any questions you have together. Talk about how you came up with the your answers.
6. 5 minutes - Talk about how the assignment/reading that night went. Notice what things you did well on and what things you had trouble with, and ask your parent to do the same. Compare ideas and see if there is anything you should keep in mind for the next time you have a similar assignment.
