Teens & Tweens: Establish Good Study Habits

As your child grows closer to adulthood, so does their workload. With work, sports, extracurriculars, family obligations, a social life and studies to stay on top of, there is a good chance your tween or teen feels stretched thin at times. In addition to juggling all the things, this is also when they might be considering what life after high school will look like, and if continuing education is in their future. Because of this, the importance of establishing good study habits is more important than ever.  

Silence the Distractions  

Snapchat. Instagram. BeReal. TikTok. YouTube … the list of potential distractions from screens goes on and on. The good news is that these distractions can quite literally be silenced. When it’s time for your kid to hit the books, make sure the phone is either put away where it cannot be seen or heard, or silenced. The ping of a notification sets off a pavlov effect in kids and adults alike, and for many of us, it’s hard to resist the urge to check. Take away that temptation and then use it as a reward. Set an amount of time for studying. Once that time is up, they can pick up the phone and see what they missed.  

Timing is Everything 

Timing is an important thing to consider when building good study habits. Even with a huge test or AP exam coming up, it’s still important to take a little time after school before you jump back into the grind. Encourage your teen to enjoy a snack, take a walk outside, or sit and decompress as they share their day with you. Just like we don’t want to come home from work and start working right away, the same applies for their study life. It’s also important that they are taking brain breaks as they study. Just a few minutes stepping away after a set amount of time can act as a reset and make a big difference in the information retained and the ability to stay focused.  

Stick to a Regular Bedtime Routine 

Teenagers are typically night owls who, if left to their own devices, would stay up all night and sleep all day. This doesn’t work so well when it comes to studying. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, it is recommended that children ages 6-12 years regularly sleep 9 to 12 hours per 24 hours, and teenagers should sleep 8 to 10 hours per 24 hours.  

Getting the right amount of sleep is good for kids’ brains and will help them to stay focused, clear-headed and able to memorize and learn all the things required of them in the school day. It might be difficult to close the books and shut out the lights with the anxiety of school work pressing in, but building the habit of getting enough shut-eye will help with so many facets of their education.  

Find a Study Buddy 

Studying doesn’t have to be a boring, isolated event. Grab a friend and head to the library or local coffee shop to quiz each other on the upcoming exam, or even just work side-by-side in silence. Sometimes, just having someone else with you doing the same thing is good motivation to stay focused and on task.  

Like most things, it can take some trial and error to discover what works best. The important thing is to keep trying and to remember, every person is different. What works well for some of your kiddos might not work so well for others. Some like to study with music, others in silence. Some like to be around other people, others need to be completely alone. Some prefer to wake up early and study in the morning, and others want to get it out of the way in the evening. There isn’t a right or a wrong way — they just need to see what clicks and then commit to incorporating whatever that may be into their lives.