Is it difficult for your children to study? Find out why study habits are so important, and why it is essential to establish a habit. With tips that will help your children study better.
We find that currently in school there are numerous cases of school failure and many others of early abandonment of the Educational System.
To get an idea, Spain is at the forefront of Europe in dropping out of students between 18 and 24 years of age who have not reached the second cycle of Compulsory Secondary Education.
Almost 22% of young people decide to leave educational centers before completing compulsory education decreed by the State.
Some causes of school dropout
Mainly, the causes of school dropout refer to the society in which the child is inserted, the economy and the cultural level of the surrounding environment and the personal characteristics of the student.
The first two causes are very complex to address, but within the characteristics of the student there is a high percentage that leads us directly to failure due to ignorance of study techniques as well as lack of habit of the same.
Therefore, a good study habit and knowledge on the part of the student of techniques that favor their learning will greatly distance the concept we are dealing with.
Importance of habit
Habits are defined as those behaviors that, based on their repetition, we make automatic (reading before bed, eating breakfast with fruit, going to the gym, etc.).
Creating, maintaining new habits and abandoning others is quite expensive and requires will but above all regularity. It is proven that the average acquisition of a new habit is 21 days. Less than a month! Of course, rigorously and as we mentioned REGULARITY.
The study habit is no different, we cannot pretend that our son who during the week has not touched a book because he does not have homework or because he does not have an exam, when the moment of study comes he closes himself in his room and studies for hours and come home with a glorious 10.
How to instill the study habit in my child?
Regularity is the key, therefore we must teach our son that every day he has to sit down a bit to study. You do not necessarily have to do homework or memorize agendas, simply sitting down to organize your work, write down some notes, write down important dates or advance work is enough? It is useful to follow the guidelines that we propose below:
- First of all, we must establish a schedule that tells the student that it is time to study, either after performing another habit such as brushing teeth after lunch, playing for a while or coming home after extracurricular activities, or setting a specific time (5, 6, etc.).
- Secondly, our son must have his own space where he feels comfortable to carry out tasks and has the necessary materials to carry them out.
- Thirdly, we must allow our son to self-manage his obligations, being able to help him if he requests it or guide him if we consider it appropriate. But we must bear in mind that our children’s tasks are theirs and not ours. Therefore, avoiding intervening will not only increase our son’s confidence in his homework, but he will also be able to evaluate himself.
- And fourthly, we must help you by removing possible distractions such as electronic devices, little brothers playing around. That is, everything that is not strictly necessary to carry out the task.
What do I do when my son refuses?
As we explained, a habit is very difficult to implement and even more so if it does not come from your own initiative, as in this case. The change must be gradual in time and demands.
As a strategy we can begin by explaining the objective of this new habit and the benefits that will be obtained with it, such as less study hours the day before exams, less stress with work and preparation for higher courses.
Then we can start this habit by helping him and getting with him the first days teaching him what things he can do when he does not have homework or exams.
And finally, not being taxing but cooperative and with good humor, keeping in mind our goal: 21 days of effort and sacrifice that will help you in the future throughout your academic and work life!
