How to Encourage Good Study Habits in a Teen

With social media, television, friends and videos games as distractions, it's no wonder your teen struggles with good study habits. It can be hard to buckle down, do homework and review notes when you have other priorities, as your teenager likely does. As a parent, you can't do your teen's studying for her, but you can help her create a plan by which studying becomes more manageable, less time-consuming and a part of a regular routine.

1. Look over your teen's homework, assignment and test schedule to help her learn to prioritize her studying. By pulling out a calendar and marking when assignments need to be turned in and the dates for major tests, your teen can go from feeling overwhelmed to organized by seeing a clear list of priorities and what needs to be done.
2. Set up a place in your home where your teen has everything she needs to study. Giving her access to a quiet spot with a home computer, pens, notebooks and textbooks results in less time gathering up necessary supplies and more time studying.
3. Create a routine where studying precedes social or leisure time. If your teen understands that she can't access social media until her daily studying is finished, she has incentive to get it done, but more importantly, becomes used to a routine where studying comes first.
4. Remove distractions that could disrupt study time. It's hard to concentrate when instant messaging notifications, television shows and even siblings keep interrupting your teen's study time. It may be a good idea to remove your teen's phone during study time.
5. Set goals for your teen that are more achievable and specific than just "getting good grades." Instead, setting a goal to get the research done for an essay in the next week gives your teen something concrete to work toward and that will add to her final goal of solid grades.

Source: http://www.ehow.com/