
Estimate “time on task” to sharpen time management skills
To better manage homework time, have your child estimate how long he thinks each assignment will take him to complete...

Don’t skip the directions!
Reading directions has many obvious benefits, but perhaps most significantly, it forces students to slow down and approach the assignment...

Engage in pre-writing thinking
Good writers rarely sit down at the computer and simply begin typing masterpieces. Rather, good writers engage in a pre-writing...

Make sleep a priority
Elementary and middle school students need 10-12 hours of sleep per night, and teenagers 8-10 hours. Without enough sleep, the...

Use multiple learning-style approaches
New research reveals that most students benefit from a combination of learning-style approaches. The more neurological pathways we engage while...

Finding the right balance
It’s important to determine the optimal quantity of after school activities for your child. Extracurricular activities have many benefits: they...

Active study strategies
When it comes to truly understanding and synthesizing information, being able to teach it to someone else is a great...

Institute a homework hour to curb “rushing to get done”
If your child is rushing through homework to get to ‘play time’, try instituting a homework hour (or hours depending...

Make a habit of checking teacher websites during homework time
Many teachers have class websites, Twitter accounts, and online message boards where they post nightly homework and long-term assignments. Make...

Benefits of BTS nights and parent-teacher conferences
A great way to get a handle on what’s going on in your child’s academic life is to attend back-to-school...

Ask specific questions, get specific responses
If getting good data from your child about her day at school is challenging, consider the way you’re framing the...

There are many ways to stay organized!
There are many ways to stay organized. Take some time to determine with your child what will work best for...