Unfortunately, parents don’t have much control over the school system and every teacher runs their class, as they feel fit. But there are things parents can do at home to help their children excel in school and be better learners. Besides feeding your kids well and making sure they get plenty of rest and exercise make sure they do their homework. There is a powerful link between homework and increased academic achievement. The more homework a child does, the better they understand the material and process the information. It teaches kids how to work independently and learn good study habits. They are better able to focus on the task at hand and get things accomplished with a reasonable time. By helping your children do their homework you know what is going on at school and what is expected of them. You will be able to help prepare your child for a test or help answer any questions that might have them stuck.

Having children do homework also helps them to remember and revisit what went on in class that day and prepare for the next. They will be able to talk about what lessons were given and what they are about. That way the parents and children can communicate about what is important. Children also need to realize that work is also expected outside the classroom. Many kids think once out of school they don’t have to think anymore. They need to realize that even adults have to prepare for work the next day. There are valuable lessons to be learned about taking your work home and excelling. It gives children a sense of organization and time management. They need to accomplish their academic goals first to be able to enjoy down and leisure time. As children get older and the work becomes harder, they may not be so eager to want to sit down and do it. Make sure that homework is not a chore or punishment and that the amount of time spent is age appropriate.  

For young children from kindergarten to second grade, homework exceeding over 20-30 minutes per day is not effective. Children in this age group have a difficult time sitting still and concentrating for too long. This is especially true when they have been confined all day in a classroom. This amount of time will set the tone for the future. It gives young kids a way to tell their parents what happened at school that day and what would be happening the next day. It is never too early to develop good study habits. Students from third to sixth grade have maximum benefit from 30-60 minutes per day of homework. The focus should be on practicing new skills they have just learned. This will enable them to apply the concepts of learned material and allow for parents and teachers to see any problems a child has with any new lesson. The proper support can then be given so the child can understand the concept and be able to apply it.  For junior and high school students there is no true time frame for homework. For some kids it can take many hours. It will depend on the subject and difficulty of the material. At this point kids should be refining skills, making up their own ideas, and feeling more confident when working independently. Homework will set kids up for a better academic and real world future.

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First and foremost, you will need a good place to study. This place should be without the distractions of peers, and/or things that you would rather be associating with at that present moment. Your studying place should be available to you whenever you need it. Given the fact that sometimes your tests may be at the same time as someone else’s, you can be assured to the fact that others are studying as well. Sharing a study place is not a good idea, because you never know whether or not it is taken for the particular moment when you really need it. It is also not advisable to use that study space with someone else at the same time. This is an easy way to become completely distracted by conversation, or whatever the other person is doing at the time. If you cannot find a study place that you can call your own, and must share, it might not be bad idea to work out some kind of schedule with the person you are sharing it with. This way you both get to use it, and not distract each other in the process. Along with the usual interruptions such as peers, cell phones and pagers can create a great distraction. Turning these devices off when studying will go along way in getting things done.

It is said that the best studying is done in absolute silence however, if this does not work for you and you need some sort of background noise try to keep it low enough to hear, yet not pulling you from what you are doing. Having exactly what you may need for your study session is very important. You will study more efficiently when you have your pens, paper and sources of material ready for the study session. Whatever it may be should be at your fingertips. If you must use a computer in your studies, then it is apparent that your study place will most likely have to be where the computer is, unless you are lucky enough to have a laptop. If you need material from the library, and you feel the distraction would be to great, you could consider taking the books out on loan. Having a large enough desk or table is imperative when you study. This way you will have all your materials right by you when you need them. Having comfortable seating and appropriate lighting will also make for an easier study session. Ensure that the temperature is set right, if it is too chilly your thinking will slow down, if it is too warm you will become drowsy, and you will be less likely to get any studying done at all.

It is essential to have a good knowledge of that will be on the test in order to do well. Paying attention in class will keep you in the know, and have you prepared for what will be asked in the test. Now that you have your study place and your materials ready, here are some tips to help you get through your next test.

First of all, you should always read the directions on the test very carefully, if you do not understand a portion or segment of the test, you should ask prior to starting. If you do follow the directions on the test, chances are you will fair much better that if you just wing it. By not following the directions, you can be fairly sure you will goof something up in the test. A good way for you to manage the test would be to examine the entire test then break it down into smaller portions. Once you have the test broken down, you can determine how much time you will need to spend on each segment. If you see items on the test that are especially easy for you, it might not be a bad idea to do them first, then more on to the more challenging questions. It is also important to review what you have done prior to turning in your test. This way you can check for mistakes and/or missing answers. By paying attention to what you are doing, you can be assured better results on your tests. This will most likely help you keep your grades up. Good luck and keep studying.

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Before you can even be ready for a test, you must know the material that you are being examined on. Make sure that you do all your assigned homework every night and ask questions in class or after to make sure you understand what the lesson is. This will make studying for a test more like a review and you will be familiar with the work already. Ask the teacher to tell you what areas will be on the test and make sure those are the issues you work at. You don’t want to study things you don’t need and not put enough time into the things you do. Make sure you have good notes on class lessons. If you have a note taker make sure the work is organized and neat so you can go over and find what you need readily. Ask your teacher if they would be willing to do a review with you. This way you will know what to expect and the type of questions that will be asked during the exam.

When it is time to actually sit down and study make sure that you have budgeted your time well. Don’t wait till the night before to cram. Give yourself a few days to review all the work. Go over your notes and the textbook and do any example questions or problems to make sure that you understand what the material is about and can apply it. Another useful tool is to redo all the old homework and/or tests to make sure you have covered all your bases. This is especially helpful for accumulative tests. If you have questions write them down so you can ask your teacher or parents. Don’t dwell over the things you don’t quite grasp. Put them a side and move through all the material. Once you are done you can now ask for help working of the material you had difficulty with. If you are allowed have a “cheat sheet” make sure it has all the key ideas that you will need during the test. Do not make the sheet too cluttered it might just confuse you while you take the exam. You should go over your material for several days to keep you from burning out.

Make sure you have gotten plenty of rest the night before the exam. Make sure you have a full night sleep and never try to pull an all nighter. Anything less than six hours of sleep will not leave you rested enough to focus appropriately. Have everything you will need ready to go so you don’t have to fuss and fetch everything. This will also keep you from forgetting something you need. Make sure that you ask your parents or someone also to wake you if your alarm doesn’t go off. Getting up late will only make you rush and miss something. It will also make you more anxious as well. Make sure you have a good breakfast prior to the test. This will provide your brain and body with the energy it needs to stay calm and focused. Stay away from heavy food that can make you groggy. Double check your bag prior to leaving the house to make sure that you have all you need. If you have any special equipment that will be used at the school, make sure you arrive early enough to get the equipment ready. Make sure you have gone to the bathroom just prior to class so you will not need to go during the exam time. This can cut into your time or make you forget where you were when you return. Trying to hold it won’t help either it will just distract you.

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Here are some tips for parents to help their children overcome auditory memory. These tips are generally what the trained professionals use in overcoming this disorder, by way of treatment. The first order of business must be to ready the environment, for the child to maximize their focus and listening levels. You could start by reducing any possible disturbance in concentration or focus, by eliminating and noises that would be in the background. Next, you could place the child in a seat that has no visual distractions, such as near a window or doorway. For maximum focus and attention, make sure you have the child face you when you are addressing them. The child must be spoken to directly, and not in a second person format. The next step will be actually getting the child to listen to you while focusing. Some simple ideas for the child to follow can be posted on a board or on the wall. The child will need to face the speaker. If it is needed, they can move closer. Posture would be a good thing to work on, as well. Feet straight on the floor and back erect will be a good indication that the child is prepared to listen to you.

Distractions are usually the cause of the disorder to flourish. Taking time to ensure that all distraction is removed is the right step to take, in order to gain the child’s attention. Making it clear that distraction is a major problem to the child will, in turn, help the child identify what and where the distractions are actually doing to their concentration levels. It would not be a bad idea to establish some key words in the listening program that you will set up for the child. The reduction of frustration will be the first order of business. Finding a way to change the delivery of instructions will help in this matter. Eliminating as much distraction as possible could take some extreme measures, in order to gain their complete attention. Try lowering the telephone ringer, keeping all radios and televisions off and the doors and windows of the room you have chosen shut. Sometime touch, as in tactile reception, is a very good method of gaining needed attention. Try gentle touch with soothing words. If you can get the child’s attention, the best way to keep it is to appease their senses, by using hand gestures and more expression when you speak, you will keep them locked in your position.

Given that the child has difficulty processing information, allow a few brief moments in between complex directions. By breaking down your sentences to smaller segments, you make it easier for them to take information in and retain it. When you have given direction and are awaiting response, if you give a little more time, you will make a world of difference. The response time on someone with this condition is slower than normal. They have so much more to process than an average child without a learning condition. When they are at a position to set themselves to calendars, day planners, lists, or agendas, it would be a good idea to show them how you set your calendar and how to follow it. This way they will have something to reference by. Helping them remember that they follow a schedule, will in turn give them something to keep tightly in mind. This after all is the very reason you are doing this to begin with. To help them with the condition of auditory memory problems, and gain a level of self-esteem will make a big difference. Taking the time to help your children when they have this type of trouble remembering things is just the first step in a long journey, by helping them remember you are helping them get by in life.

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