Getting focused: Seven tips to improve study habits

In today’s day and age, school work for young teens is more important than ever. Getting into a good college has become more competitive, which leads many to start good study habits earlier. Helping your teen improve study habits as early as possible will help them take steps towards a brighter future.

Putting the effort in

Balancing school, sleep, and a social life may seem almost impossible for your teen. However, if you follow a few simple steps, you can help your teen improve study habits, while still living a happy, restful life.

• Keep a calendar. Get a large wall calendar where your child can organize her classes and assignments, improving their study habits while staying organized.

• Plan ahead. Even if she has no test to study for, setting aside a 60-90 minute period each day will help her learn more over time, rather than cramming everything in the night before a test.

• Keep computers at a distance. When your daughter is studying, make sure that she’s not constantly on her computer. Although computers are great for research and are used as study tools by many schools, they can also pose a distraction for your teen. Social media is a just a click away, and that lends to minutes upon minutes of distraction.

• Take breaks. Encourage your teen to study for periods of 30-45 minutes, followed by a 5-10 minute break. During this break, they should leave the room they are studying in to exercise or take a quick power nap.

• Eliminate unnecessary distractions. Your teen’s study area should be a cell phone free zone. For positive study habits, Cell phones, video games, and television should not be present in the study space because teens would much rather be entertained than focus on studying.

• Designate a study area. Finding the most comfortable, effective space to study is extremely important for your teen’s productivity levels. A traditional desk environment may not be the best for your child. Instead, they may work better at the kitchen table or sitting outside. Trying out these different environments is important for your child’s future success.

• Encourage positive thinking. If it’s the night before a test and your teen is worried about it, help her avoid catastrophic thinking by encouraging positive thoughts about the exam. Thinking positively has been proven to improve test scores.

Asheville Academy can help

Asheville Academy, a therapeutic boarding school for young girls ages 10-14, helps girls struggling with emotional or behavioral issues causing them to struggle academically and socially. Asheville Academy’s fully accredited academic program provides a personalized learning environment for each student. During the program, each student learns more about their own learning styles, which helps educators teach them the study skills correct for them.

For more information about Asheville Academy, please call 800-264-8709.