Before school starts, set up a study zone with your student. Let him handle his new materials. Let him enjoy and help decide on his space. Make it a positive experience.
Determine where the zone will be located. Some children study well in a quiet area away from distraction. Others do better when other people are nearby. Some can work well by themselves but need background noise. Find an area that works best for your child. Be consistent on this study area.
Determine what will go into the zone to make studying as easy as possible. You don’t want your child to finally get started on his studies only to find he needs to stop and locate something he needs. Standard items like pencils/pens, sharpener, paper, stapler/staples, paper clips, tape, glue, bookmark, timer/clock, reference books and computer should be at hand. If the study area is a shared area – i.e. dining table, den, your office – containerize the supplies into a basket or bin that can be put away in a nearby designated area once the study is complete. It is important that wherever his place of study, he should not be interrupted during his designated study time.
A calendar should be available to visually track long term assignments and non-school events that will cut into study time. Some projects have several deadlines to track. Some subjects like math or spelling might need work every school night but other subjects may only need work once or twice a week. Put on the calendar the weekly study schedule. Your child might have some nights that he reads and studies alone. Other nights he might need drill from a parent. He might also need times that he studies with a study partner. The calendar can help the student plan what to study, when to study, with whom to study, and how long to study.
Organization and consistency should cut down on homework hassles.
Jonda S. Beattie Professional Organizer
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