Pens, Pencils, a Suitable Study Space.... Oh My! ALL Important to your Child's Success!

If you have a desk job, you know how vitally important a good work space is. Dependent on the type of person, a desk may be filled with things that remind or inspire them, or it may be very simple and clean cut to ensure there’s no mental clutter. Either way, we all know how much productivity can take a hit if the atmosphere and surroundings aren’t just right. For instance, if you’ve been in a meeting where the light is very dim you may have felt sleepy, or maybe in a meeting the room felt so sterile that you didn’t feel you could get comfortable and really get to work. To ensure your child’s studies are successful, give them the space that promotes it. Here are some areas to look at to improve the space your child calls their “Study Space”.

• Does your kiddo have some spare energy?
  • If you are the same way, then you know how important it can be while you’re thinking to have, let’s say, a pen to click. You may even click it without realizing, but it gives you something to fidget with while your brain focuses on the topic at hand. If this sounds like your kiddo, make sure they have a stress ball or fidget spinner (if it doesn’t become a way to be distracted).
• De-Clutter
  • What’s the saying…? “A cluttered space is a cluttered mind” something along those lines. Well, keep this in mind when you’re helping your child tidy their room/space. You don’t want the desk or room to feel so empty that it feels sterile, but you don’t want there to be so much clutter in the space that they can’t get comfortable and spread out.
• Cap Screen Time
  • It’s good for kids to be able to have brain breaks, but don’t let them turn into long distractions. Turn it into a teaching moment and have them set goals to “earn” their breaks.
• Planners and/or Calendars
  • Time management is vital for student’s success and it’s something that most kids won’t naturally know how to do. It’s important to help kids learn how to manage their time and set goals and deadlines. This will be a skill that they’ll not only need into College, but into their careers and adulthood.
• Lights, Noise, Action!
  • Remember how we said before that we all have been in a meeting where the lights are low and all we can focus on is holding back a yawn? Well that’s because lighting is important! Make sure that the study space has enough lighting to keep the brain engaged, but not so much or so harsh of lights that it gives your kiddo a headache. The more natural the light, the better. Also, some people swear that background music is just a distraction, but just like every child learns differently, every person studies differently. If your child is complaining that it’s too quiet or they can’t focus, try playing some music. For some kids having some background noise helps cancel out the extra thoughts rolling around in their brain. Give it a try multiple different ways and see which works best.

Mathnasium knows the best way to help a kid learn is to teach the way that makes sense to that kiddo – so the best way to help a kid study is to provide a study space that’s optimal for them. This blog was originally posted on the Mathnasium Matters Blog site, and can be found by Clicking Here.