10 Tips on Basic Study Skills

This will literally take 5 minutes. These 10 very simple tips about study skills will make all the difference in your life and, more importantly, in your kids' school life.

Tip #1: There is always Homework: What that means is that for each subject that your kids have that day, whether they have been given official homework or not, they must review their notes. This will mean that when a big test or an end of unit test comes, they will never have to study for it. It will also help them be ready for the next lesson with their notes fresh in their minds and ready to ask any question that might have come up.

Tip #2: Keep your notes neat and clear: While your kids are applying Tip # 1, they can kill two birds with one stone and improve the quality of their notes, make sure that they have all the information they need and highlight or underline the important points. Notes full of crossed out words and messy ink patches need to be re-written altogether. In the long run, this will ensure, A: more success for final revision and B, more effective note taking habits.

Tip #3: Keep your bag tidy: At least once a week, especially with middle schoolers, have your kids completely empty their bags and tidy them up. You will be amazed what they will find! A lot of the time, some "lost" notes or homework will show up just in time. For this reason, it is better to do this in the middle of the week, Wednesday night for instance. After a little while, your kids will also become naturally tidier.

Tip #4: Use your time efficiently: If your kids get stuck on one particular piece of homework, leave it and move on to the next piece, otherwise frustration will rise and make matters worse. Go back to it after a while and things might be clearer or contact the teacher or a friend to find out more.

Tip #5: Always look ahead: This applies to the use of the planner first and I'll let you look at the pdf file on this topic on my site. But it also applies to doing a little bit extra, even when you seem to be finished with the homework for that day. If a test is coming up, don't leave it to the last minute. Be ahead of yourself and start on it now!

Tip #6: Do research wisely: If any research is involved in a project, just be careful how your kids use the Internet. It is the most fantastic resource, but it is also very distracting and kids get side-tracked very easily and waste a lot of time, being taken from one related topic to the other. So every now and then, just take them to the library to do their research. It will teach them a lot of useful skills too.

Tip #7: Use technology: Now I've said what I had to say about caution with the use of the Internet but please, whenever you can, teach your kids to use a computer effectively to apply to their school work. Let them play with PowerPoint, Publisher, Front Page, etc. Let them learn to type properly and use Word correctly. Put some relevant audio-books on their I-pods and watch the discovery Channel or educational programs with them.

Tip #8: Find YOUR way: Now, this is going to be trial and error at the beginning but for whatever subject and whatever type of homework, your kids will have to find what works for them. If results are not showing, there is something they are not doing right. Some kids may have to write all their notes over to remember facts, others might have to read them aloud, others will need to act them out or build something. Once the right way is there, it works every time.

Tip #9: Have a schedule: Your kids need to learn to prioritize and achieve things that need to be done at an early age. Always plan things according to school work and extra curricular activities that are as important. Anything else comes AFTER. Make this very clear and stick to the rule and you'll see your kids work way more efficiently.

Tip #10: Communicate with the teachers: This applies to you and to your kids. Please if in any doubt on any subject, call the teacher or contact him/her whichever way. For your kids, always encourage them to go and ask if anything is unclear. It can be done after class or the next day, but it is important for them not to be put on the spot. It will also develop very important communication and self-confidence skills.