Sign up for my FREE parent tips email and get my FREE Ebook on college financing!

College can be a shock to high school students. The new sense of freedom alone can be overwhelming, which is why strong study habits are best learned now. Without reinforcement, it’s easy to botch time management and amplify poor study habits through the age-old adage of “idle hands.”

In college your son or daughter will have much more freedom over where and how they study. The decision to go to college should not be taken lightly either. With tuition prices rising, it’s important to reinforce the behaviors that will lead to a bright future. Following are some study tips for students:

Identify Learning Goals

Look objectively with your teen at a report card and identify areas that need improvement. It can be difficult to keep patience with an “F” on a report card. That stress is only amplified on your son or daughter. Instead, ask them how they feel about those subjects and get them to understand that getting help is not a bad thing.

Discuss college majors to get a feel for what your child wants to do in school. Review job placements and form a realistic picture of the future. The Bureau of Labor Statistics is a great place to search for potential careers, with data on expected growth and potential earnings per year.

Gamify Study Methods

Create achievable goals with realistic rewards. Reward an hour of study with a walk outside, or points toward something larger. Divide study sessions into “checkpoints” where students must read for a certain amount of time before taking small breaks.

Games are great about rewarding the player for doing something right, so create rewards that help them along the way. Buying books from iBooks, Kindle or Nook is like feeding candy to the brain. Reward students with high quality notebooks for hitting goals. Use these rewards to create a sense of pride in your teen’s accomplishments.

Seek Outside Tutoring

Reinforce high aptitude with advanced tutoring, or help your teen better grasp topics they find challenging. Look for one-on-one tutoring with college preparatory instructors like Huntington learning tutors; sessions are often conducted in a distraction free environment outside of school or home. Sessions like these can help prepare for specific college testing, or personal essay writing and general college applications.

Tutoring also reinforces strong study habits and can help students move from a “B” to an “A.” Teaching good research habits is another benefit that you might not get in school. Learning where and how to acquire information dramatically cuts down on study time and allows a student to retain more valuable knowledge.

Set a Schedule

Create a “reading time” where the home is engaged in something other than television. It can be difficult to get everyone on the same page, so encourage other activities like drawing or model building

Allow for short breaks in study time to avoid feelings of monotony. Avoid video games, social media, and other attention span killers during study time. This can be difficult if a tablet or laptop is also the study device, so designate “online” time and unplug the router after research is done. Use multiple browsers for social, research, and work so it’s easier to differentiate and be less tempted to deviate.

If your teen asks for background noise, use jazz or classical music without lyrics. Have plenty of brain snacks ready to keep energy high and the mind focused too. Fruit and veggie snacks are great crunchy foods with natural sugars and nutrients.

Other Tips

Studying at a Starbucks might seem strange to you as a parent, but your teen might benefit from a change of pace. The smells and atmosphere are designed to appeal to readers. Spend some time outdoors and study with your son or daughter. Take an interest in the subjects your teen is studying. Engage in discussions, ask for explanations, and try to share in that hunger for knowledge. Quizzing them is just another layer of school, but debating them and challenging their ideas will help reinforce the kind of analytical thinking necessary to survive college.

Good sleep also helps the brain retain memories, so set a bedtime for the house and stick to it. Set a reminder for yourself 45 minutes before bedtime and have it sent to everyone’s phones. Turn the TV and game systems off, and do something to wind down the day like pleasure reading. Use white or pink noise machines to help foster a deeper sleep too.

Good nutrition also feeds the brain and causes it to retain more and be more productive while studying. Skipping meals and eating junk food will make your student sleepy and sluggish. Although most students drink caffeine and energy drinks to stay focused, healthy alternatives like protein shakes and fruit might serve them better.

Before they leave for college take the time to teach them good study habits.