Essential Study Skills for a Successful School Year: Tips and Strategies for Back-to-School Success

The back-to-school season is the perfect time to help your child develop essential study skills for back-to-school success. Establishing good habits now can set the tone for a successful school year. Here are the study skills essential for success together with some strategies and tips to ensure your child gets the most out of their study time.

Active Reading

Active reading is essential for comprehension and retention. Encourage your child to ask questions before, during, and after reading. Have them summarize what they’ve read in their own words. In turn, ask them questions to help highlight or underline important information.

Time Management

Effective time management helps balance study and leisure. Create a schedule for the family to help your child allocate specific time slots for each activity. Teach them to prioritize tasks based on deadlines and difficulty. Utilize planners or digital apps to keep track of assignments and exams.

Note-Taking

Good note-taking can improve understanding and recall. Your child should be able to organize their notes. Encourage the use of bullet points, headings, and subheadings. Colored highlighters and cute sticky notes can make the most mundane note taking more fun. Another good skill to practice is mind mapping. Visual aids like mind maps can help connect ideas. Lastly, encourage your children to review and refine their notes frequently. This is a quick and easy way to refresh for exams and surprise quizzes.

Study skills can certainly be practiced during vacations or school breaks. This will make the transition back to school smoother.

Reading for Pleasure

Encourage your child to read books of interest. This keeps their mind active and improves comprehension skills. Borrow from your local library or visit your nearest bookstore!

Educational Games

Use educational apps and games that make learning fun. These can reinforce math, science, and language skills.

Daily Journaling

Encourage your child to keep a vacation journal. This helps with writing and reflection skills.

Short Study Sessions

Plan brief study or skills sessions a few times a week. This can include reviewing past materials, going over the next grade’s workbooks, or exploring new areas of interest like Coding, Digital Art, or a new language.

To make the most of study sessions during the break, having the right tools and supplies can be very helpful. Make sure you have these in hand:

Notebooks and Journals

These are essential for note-taking, journaling, and organizing thoughts. Luckily, there are a myriad of choices available

School Supplies

Highlighters, pens, pencils, sticky notes, and index cards can help in active reading and note-taking. Just like notebooks and journals, there are so many choices available ranging from high-end brands to anime-themed pencils.

Planner or Calendar

A planner can help in managing time and keeping track of study schedules and activities. Calendars can be placed on the family ref for easy reference! If this doesn’t work for you, try a whiteboard to manage those ever-changing schedules.

Here are more tips to make sure those healthy study habits are practiced and locked in:

Create a Conducive Study Environment

Ensure that your child has a quiet, well-lit, and organized study space. Minimizing distractions is key to maintaining focus.

Parental Involvement

Be involved in your child’s study routine. Ask about their progress, help them set goals, and provide support when needed.

Use Technology Wisely

Leverage educational apps and online tutoring to supplement learning. However, monitor screen time to avoid excessive use.

Build Consistency

Consistency is vital. Encourage your child to stick to their study schedule and make studying a regular habit rather than a last-minute rush.

The school break is an excellent time to establish essential study skills for back-to-school success. By helping your child develop these skills and practice them at optimal times, you can set them up for a year of academic success. It also helps them maintain a learning rhythm. Every child is different, so it’s essential to find what works best for them. Encourage open communication and be flexible with their study plans.

For safe, convenient, and effective online learning support, check out Bahay Turo, your trusted online tutoring partner. With a vetted roster of expert tutors, Bahay Turo can help keep your child out of a learning slump and assist them in developing those crucial study skills. Book a Study Skills session now! Sessions can be done anywhere you find yourselves during the break. Choose from subjects like Math, English, Creative Writing and more! Bahay Turo also offers Digital Art, Coding, and Languages like Japanese, Korean, and Conversational Tagalog. Sign up now! Help your child build those essential study skills for success. Your first session is free.