Creating a study area in your home
The purchase of new book bags, lunch boxes and shoes means it鈥檚 time for another school year to begin.
While you鈥檙e doing all you can to make sure your child is successful at school, don鈥檛 forget students also need an environment in which to study at home.
With that in mind, you might want to create a home study space.
The place you choose can be anywhere in your home, but allow your children to have some input.
鈥淢ake a space they鈥檙e comfortable with and where they鈥檒l look forward to doing their homework,鈥� said Maegan Kovach, school psychologist for the Uniontown Area School District and a former math teacher. 鈥淢ake it their space.鈥�
Kevin Willis, chemistry teacher and advisor of the state champion Envirothon Team at Carmichaels Area High School, said it should be 鈥渨hatever space is available that they can make their own. 鈥業t鈥檚 my spot where I can study and nobody is going to distract me.鈥濃��
Both Kovach and Willis said you want to create a space that鈥檚 free from distractions.
鈥淪ometimes a bedroom might be a better place, depending on the makeup of the family 鈥� if you have a lot of siblings,鈥� said Kovach. 鈥淭hey might want a room off the side where there鈥檚 more privacy and quiet.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 really hard to focus when other things are going on,鈥� said Willis, noting, 鈥淚f it鈥檚 hard to concentrate, it takes longer and no one wants homework to take longer.鈥�
But that doesn鈥檛 mean it has to be quiet all the time.
鈥淪ome students work better listening to music,鈥� said Kovach. 鈥淪ometimes, it鈥檚 not appropriate. It depends on what they鈥檙e studying.鈥�
鈥淜ids today can multi-task. Someone told me they can read a book while listening to music and watching the ESPN tickertape. Sometimes if it鈥檚 too quiet, it鈥檚 distracting,鈥� said Willis, who noted he used to run a fan, often called 鈥渨hite noise,鈥� while he was studying.
Your home study environment could be the kitchen table or a desk anywhere in the home.
But Kovach noted, 鈥淵ou want to make sure the child is visible to the parent so the child is staying on task.鈥�
The child鈥檚 bedroom may or may not be the best place to study.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 want them to get too comfortable but they might enjoy being in their room because it鈥檚 their own space,鈥� said Kovach. 鈥淚t depends on the child and their motivation.鈥�
Willis said, 鈥淭hat may be the space where they want to take a break. If available, make a space to study that you can get out of 鈥� a guest room, space in the basement or the kitchen table. When you want to take a break, you may want to go to your room.鈥�
Willis believes breaks are important.
鈥淲hen you come home from school, you don鈥檛 want to do homework. Take a minute to relax,鈥� he commented. 鈥淏ut don鈥檛 let them take too long because they would not have enough time for homework because you have to get to bed.鈥�
Willis said breaks are important because, 鈥淲hen you start fresh, you鈥檙e more efficient and able to get things done.鈥�
Willis also recommends having your children do their most important homework first and then take another break before tackling more assignments.
Study groups can mean a change in environment.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 when you can take over the living room,鈥� Willis noted. 鈥淵ou have couches and bring in fold-up chairs. It doesn鈥檛 have to be around a table.鈥�
鈥淜ids will do better because they鈥檙e feeding off each other,鈥� said Willis, adding, 鈥淲orking as a team is always better than being alone in a room and trying to get through it. 鈥�
But Kovach observed, 鈥淲hen you have study groups, it鈥檚 important for the parents to check in.鈥�
Providing snacks for your students is also good. Kovach said you might want to serve snacks before or after you study. Willis said parents have shown him photos of their children enjoying pizza during study groups as they prepare for chemistry exams.
The educators said you want to provide good lighting with Willis noting, 鈥淪tudies say natural light is best for keeping you alert. You want to stay awake.鈥�
Study spaces should be kept clean and organized. Be sure to include an electrical outlet if your child needs it to plug in a computer.
And while buying supplies for your children to take to school, make sure you stock up on what they might need at home.
Both educators suggested traditional supplies, They can include pencils, pens, erasers, scratch paper, note cards, a ruler, crayons, markers, graph paper, construction paper, glue sticks and scissors.
As a student, Willis was fond of pens with four colors of ink that he could use to color code his notes to make it easier to review them for tests.
Don鈥檛 forget your printer by keeping plenty of paper and ink on hand.
Wills said 鈥淚f you are buying a calculator, try to mimic what the class is using.鈥�
Kovach recommends counting chips or blocks to help a child see the assignment or task better.
Both said you may have to buy other materials for special projects.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 important to be organized,鈥� Kovach said, 鈥渟o I would recommend a way to organize materials 鈥� a folder or binder so it鈥檚 easy to take home and transport to school.鈥�
Kovach also recommends, 鈥淭here should always be a designated homework or study time. As much as they can keep it a routine 鈥� it鈥檚 4:30 so it鈥檚 homework time. Make it a part of the day. If they don鈥檛 have homework, they can read or review assignments so they know that time of day is dedicated to assignments. It becomes a routine for them. In regards to homework time or study time, routine is essential.鈥�
Above this, Willis encourages students who experience difficulty when doing an assignment to be willing to try.
And he noted, 鈥淭here鈥檚 no substitute for a good night鈥檚 rest and breakfast.鈥�