“Your kids need a dedicated area of the home to study, a place that clearly conveys, "It’s time to study" as soon as they enter it.Thinkstock
Getting children to study has never been an easy task. Luckily we’ve assembled simple and inexpensive ideas to foster your child’s learning needs. From planning to completion, these techniques will guide your kid’s academic growth to an "A+" level.
Contents
- Make it a Team Project
- Set the Tone
- Cut Down the Commotion
- Add an Appropriate Desk
- Include Educational Accessories
1. Make it a Team Project
Get your students involved from the very beginning of the process. It will give them a sense of ownership and help create an understanding about the importance of studying. Let them make some decisions about the furniture and arrange the area, as long as you stick to the core principles that will make the area a productive place for learning.
2. Set the Tone
Your kids need a dedicated area of the home to study, a place that clearly conveys, "It’s time to study" as soon as they enter it. Let’s face it, the kitchen table is not the best place for doing their math and their bed certainly isn’t their best bet for reading assignments.
While dedicating an entire room to a study area is best, it’s not always feasible. Choose a quiet room in the house, and create your child’s study area in one corner of it.
3. Cut Down the Commotion
Organize the study area to be in a corner, facing a wall with no outside view to minimize distractions. To minimize interruptions, position the study area away from high traffic parts of the house, like the kitchen. Make sure the study area doesn’t have a television, stereo or other distractions that could interfere with concentration. Also, prohibit snacking in the study area to set the proper tone for homework.
4. Add an Appropriate Desk
Ample surface space for writing and spreading out textbooks should be your top priority when choosing a desk. If you want to add a computer, make sure that it doesn’t take up too much space. If you have enough room in the study area, you might want to add a second desk for the computer only.
Also, make sure you invest in a comfortable chair that can be adjusted as your child grows. The chair should fit under the desk in a comfortable writing position.
5. Include Educational Accessories
Purchase some corkboard squares at an office supply store, and mount them to the walls around the desk. That way, your kids can post materials and homework-related papers on them for convenient reference. But, make sure you keep the postings limited to minimize distractions.
Also mount at least one shelf on the wall where textbooks can be stored within easy reach of the study area. A standard desktop calendar blotter is an important accessory, too, because your kids can jot down homework due dates and other school matters and keep them in sight. Finally, add a small table lamp that provides plenty of good light for reading.
