September 21, 2022 – Forming Good Study Habits Before High School

Mercy Every Minute

Deborah Wuehler, TOS Senior Editor

Set Up for Success

Forming good study habits and starting when the children are young bring with it many benefits. Peace is one of them. A good head start into the higher education years is another. It took me a few years of struggling to manage and control things. As soon as I created a (flexible) schedule, we found peace in the consistency. Freedom from chaos begins with habit.

Since then, we have always had a daily check list that includes their school subjects, meals, chores, extra curriculars, and weekly events. They know what to expect and when they are done. They check things off as they go. There are rewards for getting work done without dawdling: more free time and a feeling of accomplishment.

Charlotte Mason expert, Karen Andreola, said this: Trust in habit. Habit draws us forward to do the “next thing.” Children will readily do what is customary. “I can see how practical good habits are,” one mother shares. “When math is completed, the children always look forward to a mid-morning snack, then to hearing an episode of history. After this refreshment, spelling is tackled automatically with drawing anticipated next.” During the first months of homeschool this mother made every effort to keep to a regular schedule of short lessons. Now, with less effort, habit carries her children smoothly and pleasantly through their morning schoolwork (Karen Andreola, Educating by Faith, Not Fear, Summer 2010, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine)

What about high school? You can help set your teens up for success at the beginning of the school year by discussing how much daily study each subject needs. From that information, set up a good daily schedule. Ask these questions:

• How many units/chapters of each subject are required each day/week?
• Do they need to look up words they don’t know and keep a vocabulary/spelling list?
• Do they need to research any new concepts and write what they learn on index cards?
• Do they need to put away all distractions during school time (phones, smart devices)?
• Do they need to stay in a quiet study space to help reduce distractions?
• Do you want them to keep track of any literature/books read on a reading list?
• Do they want to pick their own planner to keep their school schedule/electives/chores, etc.?

After you and your student have answered these questions, check out these articles from The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine for some other good ideas.

Organization and Study Skills for High School Students by Janice Campbell
Don’t Just Finish the Race, Finish Well by Dr. Heather W. Allen
Finish Strong by Homeschooling Through High School by Lee Binz

What kind of habits do you keep for yourself? Jesus had a daily habit of meeting with His Father “as was His custom.” May we make it our own habit to withdraw and seek the voice of our Father and His peace for these homeschool days. You will find peace in this kind of consistent habit.

~Deborah

P.S. Our Fall issue talks about higher education and what colleges want. Read it free online at TOSMagazine.com or get the quarterly print issue delivered to your front door! Subscribe at TheOldSchoolhouse.com.

Announcing! Release of Two Paths Made Straight book 2 of trilogy. Christian fiction suitable for high schoolers! Visit Dorothy GableBooks.com.

Raising Real Men

Hal & Melanie Young, RaisingRealMen.com

Build a Love of Learning

Whenever someone asks what study habits kids need before high school, we know what they’re expecting—advice on how to get rigorous, do more schoolwork, work harder, write more in middle school and why all that is important to succeed in high school and college. The problem is that it simply isn’t true.

There was a time when we were younger homeschoolers that we would have jumped right on that. We were determined to give our kids a more rigorous education than anything available in schools. We found out, though, that the way we went about it didn’t make our kids excited about learning, it caused burnout—theirs and ours!

So, what do kids need to be successful in high school (and college)? It’s easier (and more fun) than you might think!

They need curiosity and a love of learning. That’s what will keep them going later. Hint: Filling out tons of worksheets does not make them passionate about learning.

They need the basic tools of learning. Work on getting them reading well, doing some basic composition (dictating is fine!), and solid in arithmetic so they are ready to learn in high school.

They need good character. Teach diligence by having them working alongside you whenever you can, and by insisting they do chores. Disciple them.

Middle school is the last hurrah for complete freedom in your curriculum. In high school, you’ll need certain courses so their transcript will get them into the job or college they want. In middle school, though, no one really cares exactly what you do, so have fun. Build the love of learning. Chase your curiosity. Study falconry or gardening or shipbuilding for science or history – it’s okay!

Maybe this isn’t the advice you were expecting, but it worked for us. We’ve graduated six of our kids so far and they’ve all been successful in college, and you can help your kids do the same – and without killing anyone with work!

Get our Homeschooling High School Resource Pack FREE here!

Your friends,
Hal & Melanie

About the author

Hal & Melanie Young are the award-winning, best-selling authors of Raising Real Men, No Longer Little, and Love, Honor, and Virtue. They are publishers, writers, bloggers, and popular conference speakers internationally, known for their Christ-centered focus and practical, real-life stories. They are the parents of six real boys (five grown!) and two real girls and live in noisy, messy happiness in North Carolina.

Diane Heeney

Pillar of Knowledge
Diane Heeney – Homeschool Teachers, You Need Good Habits Too!

Paul exhorts us in 1 Thessalonians 4:11 to “study to be quiet.” It means to determine to live quietly and peacefully. I’ve found that if I intentionally try to create a serene environment, my focus in my work improves exponentially!

What that looks like for me:

• Prioritize Bible study—the ultimate way to bring peace into my life
• Bad Piles—ensure that I’m not sitting in a room piled with “stuff”
• Good Piles—I do make sure I have what I need (pens, headset … coffee!) at an arm’s reach to avoid distracting meanderings through the house
• Unplug—unless I’m expecting an important call, I stash the phone out of sight
• Close the Windows—if I’m studying online, I close distracting tabs like social media and email
• Tick the boxes—I use the Pin Note app to track things that I need to remember, which declutters my mind!
• Splish Splash—making sure I’m hydrated helps me think more clearly
• Inhale—if you like essential oils, certain blends, like citrusy ones, can brighten the mood and help improve concentration
• Pray—ask God’s help and direction in maximizing your efforts and releasing burdens you are not meant to bear

About the author

Diane Heeney is a graduate of Bob Jones University, where she served on faculty for ten years. She has been Assistant to the Director of Advertising Sales at The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine since 2016. She’s homeschooled her three children over the course of the past 18 years, having graduated their two oldest. Diane, her husband Patrick, and their youngest child, Katie, reside in eastern Wyoming.

Make sure you master the basics before you get to high school with Daily Math at SchoolhouseTeachers.com. This course contains worksheets on a variety of math topics that you can incorporate into your regular math program as additional practice or as speed drills. Printable pages can be used once or multiple times as your student works on improving skills in arithmetic functions, fractions, decimals, patterns, word problems, money value, and much more.