The Parents' Guide to making study interesting

There are lots of different ways to study and revise and it may be the case that your child finds some

ways easier than others. They can experiment and see if there’s a particular style that helps keep them

interested and take in information more effectively. Don’t worry if they don’t have a preference; every child learns differently and what works for one child may not work at all for another.

VISUAL

If they love colour, pictures and imagery, they might like to:

1. make their notes colourful, with different colour pens, paper, highlighters and post-its;

2. use images and pictures instead of words;

3. use symbols to represent key messages;

4. use maps and charts where possible;

5. adapt text to flow charts;

6. express change and ideas in diagrams;

7. use doodles when note taking.

READING / WRITING

If they love reading and journaling, they might prefer to:

1. Take lots of notes (both during lessons and during study);

2. Re-write notes in different styles;

3. Do lots of practice papers;

4. Use post-it notes to emphasis key points;

5. Use highlighters to make important items stand out;

6. Read books, online articles, magazines and their own notes.

LISTENING

If reading and writing doesn’t come naturally, they might enjoy speaking and listening, for example:

1. listening to podcasts and audio books where the information they should learn is spoken aloud;

2. joining study groups so they can listen and talk over ideas with others;

3. listen to speakers/teachers/lecturers whether in live sessions or online;

4. engaging with you by talking, discussing and explaining what they know;

5. using sound and music to help them learn;

6. teaching (or pretending to teach) others to demonstrate knowledge;

7. speaking answers to past papers aloud.

BEING ACTIVE

Study doesn’t always have to mean sitting down and being quiet. If you child loves being active, perhaps they can:

1. do the activity themselves (cooking, carpentry, design);

2. use real life examples to help them understand theoretical concepts;

3. take more frequent breaks so they can get up and move about between desk time;

4. use art and drawing to help memorize ideas and themes;

5. study in groups and act out the material;

6. make study sheets and flash cards to help memorize information;

7. watch videos of people doing the activity.

Want to help your teen succeed?

We’ve got lots more ideas of what you can do at home to help your teen with study and revision, so do take a look at The Parents' Guide to Study and Exam Revision - GCSE or The Parents' Guide to Study and Exam Revision Sixth Form:

We always love to hear from you, so do let us know if there are any subjects you’d like us to chat to you about. Stay safe and keep happy, Vanessa and Darius - info@theparentsguideto.co.uk