15 Study Tips for Tweens

My oldest is in 5th grade and has entered the time in her life where she has to study for tests. Earlier, she never really had to and now that she is almost in middle school her teachers are encouraging them to learn how to study so they can do the best on tougher tests and exams. Learning to study isn’t that hard, as long as tweens are set up for success. These 15 study tips for tweens are a great place to begin to teach your child the benefits of studying for tests and how to do it in a way that’s not overwhelming!

Probably the most important lesson is to teach your tween not to procrastinate. Studying is done best over time when you aren’t under pressure.
Get organized: organize assignments in a calendar or planner so kids know what is due when. Make a daily or weekly checklist and check them off one by one.
Teach them to take lots of breaks. At this age, 10-15 minutes is plenty of time for one sitting. They can study for 10 minutes after school and then again before bed. This way, they have time for friends, playing and sports and still got a good chunk of studying time in.
Have a designated place for studying, like a desk in their room or in another quiet place.- ideally one away from younger siblings that will “mess with their stuff”. They need to worry about their school work and not little ones messing with their papers.
Give them colorful pens, notebooks and other fun supplies to write with so they are more encouraged to study. They can color code notes and important facts they want to focus on.
Show them how to use post-it’s and index cards to make their own flash cards to study spelling or vocabulary words.
Let them study with friends sometimes! It’s more fun that way!
Show them how to study from videos- this generation is very visual, so use this to their advantage.
Let them switch spots to study- maybe they want to lay on their bed or at the desk. Switching positions will help their brains rejuvenate.
Remind them to wear comfortable clothes when they are studying so they are cozy!
Have a healthy snack and some water available.
Turn off distractions- that means no Minecraft videos or texting with friends, unless it’s about their materials. Some kids like music and others may not. You child can decide on that.
Explain the difference between doing homework and studying and show them that are are not the same!
Keep a worry pad. A worry pad is a great tool for tween who are easily distracted by their own thoughts. Instead of trying to deal with all the distracting things that keep popping into their heads, your child can write them down on the pad. When he’s done studying, then he can deal with the things that distracted him.
Most importantly: Think Positively! Being in the right mindset can make all the difference with this age child. Encourage them to think positively when studying or heading into an exam and by all means, avoid catastrophic thinking. Help them turn negative statements like “I’ll never have enough time to get a good grade on this exam” into positive ones like “I began preparing later than I should have but I put together a comprehensive study plan and will be able to get through the material prior to the exam.” For more motivational thoughts for your tween, check out this list!

Studying is a habit that needs to be taught and isn’t one that kids just know. Teaching your child good study habits when they are a tween will help set them up for success into high school and through college. Make sure they understand your expectations for their grades and how important is it to prepare for assignments. Also, every one has a bad test every once and awhile- we’ve all been there. If this ever happens to your child, make sure they know how proud you are of them for trying and sit together and see what can be learned from it.