Simple learning techniques for your child

Parents of school going children know the pressures of making their kids study only too well. Many-a-times, it feels like we ourselves are going to sit for the exams! Besides, we want our children to grasp as much as the knowledge they can for a brighter future. 

Here we have  Dr. Pallavi Arvind Joshi, Consultant Psychiatry, Columbia Asia Hospital, Whitefield who gives us insights on simple learning techniques for your child. 

Getting your child study before exams can be the most tiring task for you. With all the distractions nearby, it might be difficult for children to focus on study and remember their textbook lessons. General distractions can lead to lack of attention and forgetfulness leading to a bad performance in the examination.

Those above the age of 60 years may suffer from true-forgetting which leads to Alzheimer disease. Kids on the other hand struggle remembering things when there is a weakness in the registration of the information due to distractions near them. Therefore, it is important for parents to work on their child’s information registration level to increase their memory power.

Some of the simple ways to boost your child’s memory include appropriate sleep, regular aerobic exercise to help release positive hormones and a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables and nuts to help in memory retention.

Boosting your child’s memory and practising easy ways of learning can help your child perform better in exams. Read on to know some simple ways that can help improve the performance of your child in the examination:

Planning

Sit with your child and schedule a plan. This helps to set-up a regular study routine for your child.

Revision

There are two types of revisions that can be done before your child’s exam. One is just for the maintenance of the information that your child has to remember other constitutes elaborate revisions of the lessons learnt. To get a mastery of a topic it is important that your child understands and reads a topic at regular intervals. Kids tend to forget things that were read long before. Hence, regular revisions of subject chapters can help in retention of the memory.

Learning the fun way

Revise with your child while he is helping you out in cleaning, playing, gardening or doing any fun activity. Revising his textbook chapters while you prepare the evening meal can be a good idea. This will help him learn in a fun way and he will no longer feel study as a burden.

Learn with association

Association with things will help your child remember for longer. Explaining chapter in the form of short stories to your child especially while remembering the sequence of events will help.

Regular brain charging

Metaphorically, just like a battery, it is important to charge our brain at regular intervals. The frontal lobes of our brain are responsible for execution functions and control cognitive skills like problem solving, memory, language, judgement, etc. Develop problem-solving skills in your child by encouraging the habit of solving crosswords and Sudoku’s to keep the brain active. Ask your child about occasional events and their dates to enrich memory.

Reduction of the stress hormone

Serious memory issues are generally not found in kids. Over the counter drugs and multivitamin tablets can produce anti-anxiety agents and reduce stress hormone which promotes memory. These can be used in limited efficacy if your child is facing serious memory issues. Consult a doctor before including any nutrient tablet in your child’s diet.

By the end of it, imbibing good learning habits in your child at a young age can help them in the long run as well.