How to Encourage Good Study Habits in a Teen

Series Summary

For many, one of the most rewarding things in life is having a family. No matter what the size, families give a sense of comfort and security. They encourage laughter and cooperation. However, like everything in life, families can have their problems. Nobody is perfect: spouses, parents, children or grandparents. Sometimes, moms and dads can't get along, teenagers rebel more than normal and communication is broken. Life is full of uncertainties. Despite the problems, there is always a silver lining. Learning how to deal with the unexpected or unfortunate circumstances can make a family stronger than ever before. Sometimes, it helps to get an outsider's perspective on problems. Listening to someone who is not directly involved in the conflict may offer useful advice. This is why counselors are a great resource for family and parenting problems. In this free video series, get some tips from a clinical psychologist offering general family and parenting advice. Learn how to deal with divorces, such as dividing property and picking attorneys. Also, get tips for establishing curfews, allowances and chores for a teenager. Curious about how to cope with a miscarriage or stillbirth? Our expert gives advice for dealing with many upsetting situations. So, take a moment, and learn some useful tips with this general parenting and family advice.

Video Transcript

"Hi. Have you ever wondered how to encourage your teen to have good study habits? Well let me share a few tips with you. I am Doctor Felicia and I have been working with teens for over twenty years. Especially in the educational realm. One of the things you want to do with study habits as some call it. There are the three s. You want to make sure that they have their stuff in order that is their books, their paper works and their report. Maybe a memo for all tasks that are expected in school. Then you want to make sure they have schedule in order so that they study at consistent times and you also want to make sure that they have a space to study in. So a quiet space. You would not want them in the middle of a bunch of kids. Maybe a corner of the house, if it is a corner of their room, corner at a dining room table. But make sure that when their study time is going on that the house around them is peaceful and quiet. It helps them to focus and concentrate. Which is difficult for most teens. You also want to make sure that you have a teen that studies an exorbitant amount of time that they get sufficient breaks. Maybe give them a power bar; maybe give them a little snack in between. So you could go to both ends of the spectrum. You want to supervise actively. You want to look at their homework. Take and active interest. You want to make sure that you know that maybe you are on top of their big reports such as when a book report is due, or the semi finals are coming up. And then of course when their finals are coming up. Of course here in Florida we have the FCAT and most schools in different states have a comprehensive test that is taking place. The week that test takes place make sure you have your child prepared with good snacks, rested and ready for that without to much anxiety. The other way you can also keep in touch with what your child is doing is to know their teachers that they are talking about. Go to your parent conferences. Take an active stance in what is happening so when the child complains or makes a statement about something that happened in class you can relate to what they are talking about. Very important. They work so much harder when they know you are reviewing and supervising with them. If you care they will care to. So be right by their side. Encourage them and listen to when they are telling you they are frustrated. Obviously it helps the better they reading skills your child has the better they are going to be as a teenager student. In order to get that preparation done you want to start early in childhood. Maybe if necessary get them tutoring so that their reading comes up to par. So that by teen years they are pretty well self sufficient. So if you keep that in mind. The three s. Space, scheduling and stuff. Make sure that is all in order and then also make sure you are active in going to PTAs and parent conferences, etc. It helps. Good luck and happy study time. Doctor Felicia."