3 Ultimate Healthy Habits To Help Your Child Succeed In School

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Health is critical to our mental performance. Improving the effectiveness of our study habits is just as critical to improving how we study.

It is great to have a talk with your family and friends about the practices you need to improve your concentration. This chapter of the study skills discusses the approaches and techniques that you may need to adapt to your study routine. Keep healthy and find balance in your academic and social life through these tips.

Improving concentration is an important aspect of studying. Always be reminded of your reasons for working hard to stay motivated.  If you can’t concentrate, observe yourself and find time to figure out the things that are distracting you.

ULTIMATE PARENTING TIPS

 

There are things that parents can do to improve their concentration. If you notice that your child has a hard time focusing, it is important to consider a healthy lifestyle. Consider the tips in this chapter to improve your child’s concentration and increase productivity.

1. Have a good night’s sleep

The first thing that you have to do is make sleep a priority. Our mind will work best when it is well-rested every day. Studying when you’re tired and sleepy is not healthy for you, as it tends to affect your mood and be less productive.

What’s a normal amount of sleep?

Lack of sleep can cause difficulty in concentrating throughout the day. Getting the right amount of sleep is essential for restoring energy to your body and brain. Most people would say that you need to sleep for at least 8 hours every night.

However, this is not always the case since it varies for everyone. Take a look at the recommendations of the National Sleep Foundation for appropriate sleep duration.

Most school-aged children require 9-10 hours of sleep while teens need about 8 to 10 hours to sleep each night to function best. Take into consideration the bedtime and wake-up time. Decide on an appropriate time to go to bed and keep in mind any early morning starts.

3 ultimate healthy habits to help your child succeed in school - recommended hours of sleep - tutor2you

Source: www.sleepfoundation.org

How to get a good night's sleep?

  • Create a sleep schedule. Waking up and going to sleep at the same time every morning and night puts you in control of your sleep habits.
  • Use your bed only for sleeping. Don’t use it when studying or eating.
  • Avoid eating heavy meals and exercising within a few hours of your bedtime.
  • Take a hot bath before bed. Avoid cold shower as it may wake you up.
  • Turn off bright lights at least 30 minutes before bed. The light from computer and phone screens keeps your brain active and awake, preventing it from starting to shut down for the evening.
  • Avoid taking naps that are too long and too close to bedtime.
3 ultimate healthy habits to help your child succeed in school - how to get a good night sleep - tutor2you

Sleep is not only required for optimal brain function; it has a powerful relationship with the generation of neural pathways and memory. Think of sleep like giving your brain the chance to file all the information gathered throughout the day in the relevant folder within a filing cabinet.

2. Use breaks to optimise productivity

Do you find it hard to concentrate on your studies for prolonged periods?

If you’re experiencing burnout and can’t stay focused, taking scheduled short breaks could help you to renew your energy. It's important to regularly take breaks while you're studying, especially if you're feeling tired or frustrated. Give yourself a break from all the brain activity. Research shows that pausing for a moment to relax, and a reboot is essential for achieving productivity.

3 ultimate healthy habits to help your child succeed in school - use breaks to optimise productivity - tutor2you

What to do during short breaks?

  • Stay away from your study area.
  • Talk to your family or friends. Avoid talking about studies.
  • Eat a healthy meal. Avoid eating junk food or anything that is not nutritious.
  • Move your body. Go for a walk outside the study area.

Working too long on a task can decrease your performance. The suggested study sessions should have 5- to 10-minute break per 45-90 minutes of studying. You know what works best for you so plan how often you will take a break and how long would it be.  Don’t take too long breaks to avoid procrastination.  The purpose of taking breaks is to ensure that you don’t burn out and allow your brain to relax and be more productive when you return.

3. Eat brain food and exercise regularly

3 ultimate healthy habits to help your child succeed in school - eat brain food and exercise regularly - tutor2you

Eating healthy and exercising regularly is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle and advisable to be taught at an early age. Research shows that children who embrace healthy eating and exercise habits during middle childhood will have a much easier time maintaining a healthy lifestyle through adolescence and adulthood than individuals who try to make the shift later in life.

Eat healthy food

The food you eat can have a large impact on your brain activity. Healthy eating helps maintain energy and improve concentration.

3 ultimate healthy habits to help your child succeed in school - eat healthy foods - tutor2you

Eating the right foods can help you gain more energy, improve your mood, and more mental sharpness, which is a recipe for success in every area of your life.

Stay Hydrated

Eating the right foods can help you gain more energy, improve your mood, and more mental sharpness, which is a recipe for success in every area of your life.

Exercise regularly

Exercise is beneficial in increasing your focus and concentration. Regular exercise is important to kids and teens because it helps maintain their physical and mental health. Parents can be a good example for their children by engaging themselves and staying active in physical activities.

Children and even teens shift their attention when they get bored. Playing with your electronic devices is not only the option for your spare time. So, keep away phones, tablets and computers, and start doing activities to condition your mind and body.

1. Full-body exercise

Doing full-body exercises have a great impact on your physical and mental health. They help build endurance and coordination to strengthen the whole body. Squats, pull ups, push ups, split jacks, and star jumps are just a few of full-body exercises that you can do with your parents and friends. They keep your body physically active, reduces stress and depression, and improve self-confidence.

3 ultimate healthy habits to help your child succeed in school - exercise regularly - tutor2you

2. Yoga

3 ultimate healthy habits to help your child succeed in school - yoga exercise - tutor2you

Yoga has a lot of positive benefits on mental health. It has been shown to enhance social well-being through a sense of belonging to others, and improve the symptoms of depression, attention deficit and hyperactivity, and sleep disorders (Yoga and Mental Health, Huffington Post 2013).

3.  Walking

Physical activities don’t have to be intense to provide benefits. Walking is good exercise. Research shows that 30 minutes of walking every day reduces depression and improves quality of life. It also shows higher academic achievement and better cognitive performance.

ULTIMATE PARENTING TIPS

 

Make sure your child is eating the right food, getting enough sleep and physical exercise, and drinking adequate water.

There is a wide range of physical and mental activities for kids and teens. You just have to take into considerations which are suitable and work for you.

Surprisingly the act of taking time out of studying to get moving and active will help to de-stress and declutter your thoughts. Consider it free thinking time where you can let your mind wander. These are only some of the things you may consider to get the most out of studying.

Remember to start small and at a slow pace until you make it a habit to do this.


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