Helping Your Child Study Smarter (Not Longer) This Semester
If your child has ever said, “But I studied!” right after bombing a quiz… you’re not alone.
Most kids are never explicitly taught how to study. They’re told:
“Review your notes.”
“Study for the test.”
“Look it over.”
But those phrases mean nothing to a brain that has no actual strategy. So kids end up:
Rereading notes passively
Highlighting everything in neon yellow
Cramming the night before
Hoping for the best
Let’s talk about how to turn “I tried” into “I know what works for me.”
What’s Going Wrong With Most Kids’ Study Habits
The brain remembers what it actively works with, not what it passively looks at.
Passive studying:
Rereading
Highlighting
Skimming
Staring at slides
Active studying:
Quizzing
Teaching the material out loud
Using flashcards (done well, not just flipping)
Summarizing in their own words
Doing practice problems
If your child feels like they’re studying “forever” with little payoff, chances are they’re stuck in passive mode.
Teach Your Child the “Retell Rule”
A simple test we use with students:
“If you can’t explain it, you don’t really know it yet.”
Ask your child:
“Tell me what you just read, in your own words.”
“Walk me through how you’d solve this kind of problem.”
“Teach this concept to your stuffed animal / sibling / me.”
If they can retell it clearly, they’re learning.
If they freeze, ramble, or say “I don’t know,” that’s a study skills flag.
Study Sprints > Endless Sessions
No one (especially kids) learns well in three-hour marathons. Try:
20–25 minute focused “study sprint”
5-minute break (movement, stretch, water)
Repeat 2–3 times
Teach them to:
Decide what they’ll do before they start the sprint
Put their phone in another room
Use a visible timer
Check off what they finished (small dopamine hit)
How a Tutor Can Transform “Studying” Into Strategy
A private tutor can:
Audit your child’s current study methods
Teach them specific techniques that match their learning style
Help them build weekly routines around tests, not last-minute panic
Model how to break material into “study chunks” over several days
Boost their confidence by showing them “You’re not bad at this, you just need a better strategy.”
This is especially important in middle and high school, where demands jump faster than executive functioning often does.
Schedule a free consultation, and we can build a personalized study system for your student based on how their brain learns best.
