Aside from maybe "clean your room" and "go to bed," there are few commands parents utter more often than "do your homework." Getting kids to study is already an uphill battle, so you don't want an uninviting study space working against you as well. Your children's study environment can influence everything from their level of calmness to their capacity for concentration. Here's what you can do to create a study space that's most conducive to kids' learning and productivity.
Image via Flickr by Monica Holli
Studious Smells
Believe it or not, smells can either detract or enhance how productive a study session is. For example, if you have a batch of chocolate chip cookies baking while your child is trying to study for a science test, meiosis and mitosis might become harder and harder to focus on. Consider using Aromatherapy in the kids' study area. You might try lemon, which boosts concentration and promotes serenity, or jasmine, which promotes confidence and optimism.
A Standing Desk
If your child struggles to sit still enough to work at a regular desk, think about investing in a standing desk. The body is more engaged then, which may lessen the urge to fidget. Standing to study may even improve your child's health - studies have found that sitting for more than three hours a day can shave as much as two years off of life expectancy.
Improve the Air Quality in Your Home
What's an air-conditioning unit got to do with your child's academic success? More than you'd think. A poorly maintained heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system will spew air filled with pollutants and contaminants into your home.
These pollutants, as well as aggravating asthma and allergies, can cause things like headaches, fatigue, eye irritation, dizziness, and more. Trying to learn while any of those things is going on can be incredibly challenging, which is why you should have an inefficient HVAC system repaired or replaced. Once you have an efficient unit, be sure to have it maintained regularly to keep it running smoothly.
Use a Clock, but Put it out of Sight
Study breaks will help keep your child alert, motivated, and focused. Figure out an age-appropriate chunk of time for your child to study. With a first-grader, that might mean a five-minute break after 15 minutes of studying. For a high-schooler, an hour of study time for every 10-minute break is a better guideline.
With younger kids, using a clock is a good idea but consider keeping it out of sight. You can set an alarm to go off when the designated amount of time has passed, but try putting it behind your child so it's less distracting. With older kids, a clock sitting in front of them is less likely to derail them and more likely to motivate them.
While we can't guarantee that getting your children to study will be any easier with these tips, we're fairly confident that studying will go better once you corral them into their study space. Ideally, they'll be breathing easier and studying for longer with better results.
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