Families For Life | How do I make my child learn without my help?

As parents, there comes a crucial juncture when we must gradually step back from closely monitoring our children's homework completion and test preparation. This shift allows our children to become independent and self-motivated learners.

Here are five study habits you can cultivate in your children!

1. Remove distractions

In this digital age, we are surrounded by gadgets like smartphones, tablets and television, which are distractions to kids when they study.

Move to a quieter area of the house to work, where there aren’t screens to look at or toys to play with, such as a study desk in their bedroom. It can be a good idea to set that space as a dedicated “focus space”, where your children are able to associate that area with quiet, focused work time, and truly concentrate on their studying.

2. Let them do most of the work

When we see our little ones struggle with their homework, as parents, we can be tempted to jump in and give them the answer to ease their worries. However, kids need to learn how to take responsibility for their own tasks. This will help them understand problems better and find the solutions, allowing them to achieve their own success that will continue to motivate them further.

You may guide, review and assist them in finding the solution but your kids need to be the ones putting in most of the effort.

3. Establish study routines.

Routines are powerful because they let kids know what to expect. When study time becomes part of their daily schedule, they can see it as another item to check off their daily list of tasks, rather than something extra they have to sacrifice their playtime for.

You can use the “When-Then” method to establish routines to ensure school work gets done before your child pursues other activities.

For example, you can present it as “When you’ve finished your homework, then you can watch TV” or “When you’ve revised for an hour, then we can go to the playground”. You can let your child give inputs into the ‘then’ activity so they will be more motivated to complete their daily revisions.

4. Introduce easy time management tips

Keep in mind that kids do not have long concentration periods like adults. Plus, if your kids have already been focusing for long periods at school, it may be tougher for them to focus on more tasks at home.

This can be a good opportunity to introduce simple time management tips to your child. You can introduce timers to dedicate small time blocks of undivided focus on their school tasks. You can also use the timer to set short breaks, especially when your kids get antsy or tired. Try out different time blocks to find which works best for your child!

5. Support them through their mistakes

When kids do their own homework and study independently, they are bound to make some mistakes. While it can be hard to see our kids disappointed in themselves, this is an opportunity for them to embrace their mistakes and learn from them.

Validate whatever feelings they may have, then review the mistakes together. This is also a good time to find out what they need help with and support them through it. Be mindful to also acknowledge their hard work, not just mistakes, so they feel encouraged to work on their shortcomings in the future.

As parents, we play an important role in helping our children be self-motivated learners not just in their school years, but throughout their lives. By instilling healthy studying habits from young, we can help our children tackle learning opportunities in a healthy manner, and foster a lifetime love for learning in them!