3 important learning habits for children
Many of our habits that we carry throughout our lives are developed in childhood. As parents, we have the responsibility of inculcating good learning habits in our children that will benefit them throughout their school years. It’s not always about making sure that they complete their homework everyday, but also about how they learn and retain information. As children grow up, learning never stops, which is why developing a positive attitude towards learning and building good learning habits are of paramount importance. Read on to discover 3 important learning habits that you should instill in your child.
1. Problem-solving
Parents have the natural tendency to hold their children’s hands and support them through their struggles and challenges. However, doing this too much can make our children over-reliant and less resilient. Rather than looking over their shoulders constantly and handing them solutions, help them instill the habit of solving problems on their own by allowing them to take the lead and guiding them along the way. A fundamental part of learning is being able to problem solve and figure out what works and what doesn’t. Occasionally, this may result in failure and setbacks, but more importantly, your child will learn to overcome challenges and become more resilient. This will benefit your child throughout their school years and beyond!
2. Studying or revising
Studying is one of the most important contributors to academic performance. A key learning habit that is beneficial to instill in our children is studying or revising. Without well-developed learning habits, children may struggle to perform well in school and stay motivated. Turning studying into a habit could involve revising notes from certain subjects, which helps children to recall and retrieve information, and retain it in their long term memory. To make this a habit, help your child create and set a study routine, where they study at the same time each day. This helps to establish a regular routine, where your child will be mentally prepared and associate that time of day with study.
3. Staying focused and minimising distractions
This may sound all too familiar but to re-emphasise, removing distractions is an important learning habit to instill in children so that they stay focused and on track with their learning. As educators, we know that not all children can put their head down and get stuck into their books easily. When children struggle to complete homework, it isn’t necessarily because of their inability to do the work, but rather the avoidance and procrastination. As we now live in a technological era, it may be an obvious solution to remove phones or tablets when studying. Tech tools such as mobile phones, computers, and tablets can assist your child’s learning, but they can also become their biggest distractions. If they aren’t needed for your child’s schoolwork, ensure that they are removed or set some clear boundaries of when and where they can be used. It is vital to help your child build a learning habit of staying focused with the minimisation of distractions. Without distractions, children become more productive and can concentrate on the task at hand.
Good learning habits are the tool to success. Forming positive habits isn’t easy, but with routine, practice, and consistency, your child will reap the benefits for the rest of their life. Help your child begin building positive habits from a young age, to ensure that they are set up for a lifetime of success! At NumberWorks’nWords, we help young learners achieve their academic goals through the development of good learning habits. Our expert tutors model positive behaviour in a nurturing environment that celebrates success. Get in touch to learn more about our maths and English tutoring, or contact your local centre and book a free assessment!
