Jan 2, 2024 by Yolanda Fontanez-Coleman | Academic Goals, Executive Function, Growth Mindset
Happy New Year! January is one of my favorite months of the year. It’s an excellent time to reset and reassess your goals. Take a deep dive into what is working and what is not working! Here are some ideas for both you and your child to help with setting homework, study, mindset, time management and down time goals. Breaking up your goals in these 5 areas will help your child establish a sense of balance in their academic life.
5 Goals For Academic Success:
- Homework Goals: Homework time can be super stressful in many households. However, with these 3 simple goals you can have a stress-free homework time:
- Commit to giving 100% during homework time.
- Attempt doing your work independently before seeking help. Once you have tried 3 times independently then you can seek help from your parents or peers.
- Do your homework as soon as you come home from school. Creating a consistent routine will help you stay focused and minimize stress.
- Study Goals: Creating some simple and concise study goals will help you minimize stress and establish effective study strategies. Not all strategies will work for everyone so pick one or two that are aligned to your learning style. Once you find a few that work for you, stay committed to them for a minimum of 8 weeks.
- Commit to studying a little each day. Be sure to practice skills daily. This approach will minimize stress and give you a strong foundation for success.
- Diversify the way you study by incorporating a variety of study methods. Utilize flash cards, integrate computer games, work with a study partner, or record yourself stating some facts. Using a variety of study tools will keep you engaged and focused, and create ultimate school success.
- Use technology to study. Use sources such as Quizlet.com or Vocabulary.com
- Growth Mindset Goals: Establishing a growth mindset will foster a lifelong pattern of success. It will give you the tools you need to succeed in the classroom and beyond.
- When you encounter difficulties in school, stay positive and ask for help. Don’t be embarrassed to ask the teacher for help!
- Mantras can help. When you get frustrated, repeat a positive mantra to yourself, “I can do this” or “I will get through this.” Having a positive mindset will build perseverance and build your confidence.
- Time Management Goals: Creating a time management plan will help in many areas of school.
- Use a calendar at home and write down all important school tests, projects and other due dates. Include your extra curricular sports and activities on this calendar. It is important to see ALL of your obligations.
- Write down the estimated and actual time it takes you to do a homework assignment or task. Keep a log of the amount of time it takes you to do your work. This time management record keeping encourages students to plan ahead and think realistically about efficient time management.
- Use a timer when doing homework. Set it for about 30 minutes. Work for 30 minutes without stopping. Oftentimes, when we allocate a dedicated amount of uninterrupted time, our productivity soars.
- Down Time Goals: Incorporate downtime everyday. Down time is important for a student’s overall well-being. It allows students to take a “brain break” during the day. This down time will energize and give your child clarity to focus on his school work. Incorporate this “down time” on the home calendar. This will give your child something to look forward to!
Setting goals together with your child will make the goals more meaningful and therefore more effective. Make sure to focus on areas that will be the most beneficial for your child. Personalize the goals, as not all goals will work for all your children. Find the goals that work best for them and keep to it.
Will you set goals with your children this January? What are your academic goals for 2024?
Would you benefit from our study skills program this year? Our study skills program will help with goal setting, planning, time management and overall effective study skills. Contact our office for more information, 215-657-1981.
