The Sunday Mail
Children are currently on school holiday following an early break that came as a result of the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak.
Here are some tips that children can follow so that they keep abreast with their schoolwork without getting bored.
Only do a little bit each day (snack study)
Remember, it is your holidays. What is the point of holidays? To relax and recharge. So do not overdo the study. You only want to do a little bit each day. I recommend “snack study” where you study in short, sharp bursts (15-20 minutes), followed by a break.
Do your snack study first thing
One of the advantages of doing your snack study first thing is you get it out of the way.
You do not have to worry about it for the rest of the day. You can go play! Not only that, you get to feel pretty awesome that you have knocked off the toughest thing you had to do first up.
This is an excellent practice that will serve you well for the rest of the school year as well as life beyond school.
Combine study with something delicious and exciting
Why not combine a bit of science pre-reading with a milkshake at a nice café?
Or art history study with a trip to the art gallery? A good holiday should get you out of your usual routine and expose your mind to new and different ideas and places.
By changing your location and exploring places that are connected in some way to your subject areas, study can feel more like play and less like work.
Reframe the way you think about study: You are playing and having fun with ideas
Language is powerful
The words we use and the way an activity is framed can make a huge difference to our motivation levels. One study found that re-framing an activity as an opportunity to have fun rather than as work led to increases in self-control and participants feeling more energised.
Whereas when the same behaviour was framed as work, participants had trouble exerting self-control and struggled to finish the task. So the question is, how on earth can you have fun with your studies? Some simple ways include: reading interesting books on the subject (read beyond your school book list); visiting interesting places that relate to your subject (for example, a museum or art gallery); listening to podcasts; or attending talks by experts at universities in the subject area.
Factor in time for fun every day
You know the saying, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”? There is a lot of truth to this statement. It is your holidays. Go get yourself a life. Do some fun things with friends that do not relate to your studies!
But what you choose to do for fun matters.
Research shows that some activities are more relaxing and rejuvenating than others. Start to notice what activities leave you feeling energised and which activities leave you feeling flat and depleted.
Have at least one day where you don’t pick up a book
Give yourself a mental break at least one day a week.
Over the holiday period, you need one or two days a week where you do not think about school.
Go do fun stuff with your friends. For some students this may feel like you are wasting precious time, but trust me, you are not. You need to recharge your mind so it is fresh to absorb new information.
A little distance from a subject can give you a fresh perspective. — learningfundamentals.com
