We all remember this feeling. Walking into algebra class on a test day, whether you had time to prepare or it was a pop quiz, it didn’t matter because you only started studying the night before. You sort of understand the material but not profoundly. So you sit down with your pencil, close your eyes, and hope for the best. You really wish you had found some private math lessons. Sure, you studied, but not enough to let the material seep into your brain. This is how test anxiety starts and can make academia extremely stressful. Fear not, because you can help your children avoid such stress with mindful planning. So here are some tips from us on how to manage that stress.
Environmental Concerns
A calm and quiet study environment can work wonders for your child’s retention. Put away the phones, turn off the tv, and only play music if it works for your child. People like to think that they are excellent multitaskers. Still, studies have shown that doing multiple things at once causes the quality of both to suffer. So always make sure that your child has a focused environment for when they study. The reason people like to have these distractions in their studies is that they feel it breaks things up for them, which brings me to my next point.
The Art of The Break
No one is saying that studying is easy and does not require hard work to be put in to be successful. The way you can minimize the impact of that hard work is to plan out breaks. Whether it be two minutes of rest for every fifteen minutes of studying or ten minutes every hour, these breaks are crucial for your child to maintain focus. That being said, these breaks should not be a total shift in focus. Studying for an hour does not warrant 10 minutes of video games or social media because that will just push everything they just absorbed into the back of their brains. Instead, encourage them to take a walk, do a quick stretch, spend some time talking about their studying, or do something else that does not hijack their attention. These tactics can break their studying up into meaningful blocks of time rather than a frantic six-hour cram before the test. While we’re on the topic of cramming before a test…
Study a Little Every Day, Not a Lot at Once
Most people are guilty of cramming or putting things off until the last minute. There always feels like there is going to be more time or another time to do something. Every time that thing is put off, there is no less work to complete, but there is less time. For the procrastination worriers, it takes the same amount of energy to worry about what you have to do as if you just started working on what you worry about. Encourage your child to set up some study time was before the test. Studying for an hour a day for a week can take the crunch burden off of their shoulders and break the studying into manageable chunks.
Have a Study Plan
Now that you have the perfect study environment set up, put away all distractions, and planned out your study time up into manageable chunks, you need to figure out what you’re going to study. Every subject is different for every student, warranting a different approach to practice. Some students like to do practice questions, others prefer to re-read the chapter, and other kids prefer to teach others as a form of studying. Work with your child and find which style (or combination of) works best for them. If they need some algebra practice, find some worksheets for them to do or from their teacher. This is the key to maximizing your child’s study time.
If you feel that your child could benefit from learning with a tutor, we got you covered! Our math learning center utilizes the time-tested Mathnasium method, designed to work with your child to find a work and study regiment that works best for them. We have both online math tutors and in-person tutoring.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us as we love answering them!
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