5 Guaranteed Ways to Cultivate Killer High School Study Habits

This is a contributed post from Ryan Ching, co-founder of Dioji.app.

*Note: This post may include affiliate links where we earn a small commission on purchases made from our site.

High school homework, sigh. It’s the academic equivalent of navigating a minefield blindfolded for our kid. And for us parents? Well, it often feels like we’re riding an avalanche made of overdue assignments and adolescent “meh”.

The hope is that by high school, students will have developed study and organizational skills to manage their workload. However, because adolescents mature at different rates or a student may not have been academically challenged yet, sometimes high school is when we find out that parents still need to oversee homework and build efficient and effective study skills.

What often happens is that homework becomes a tug-of-war between parents and their children. As subject matters become more complex and students feel the pressure to perform, study time can become a constant battle. As parents, we’re torn between providing help and advice while also wanting them to learn the material as instructed and develop skills such as self-advocacy, organization, and discipline. We want them to be accountable and experience natural consequences, while also serving as a support to their academic pursuits and goals.

It’s important to keep in mind that high school is where things start to get a bit serious: From settling into their friendship groups and narrowing the focus on extra-curricular activities to first jobs and thinking about college or future career aspirations, your teen is likely finding their identity. Many teens are facing physical, emotional, and social changes and their brain is developing rapidly, so skills such as decision-making, communication, and emotional regulation may be lacking. The new, increased workload and competitive nature of many high schools, combined with having to manage a new set of responsibilities, can leave many students feeling stressed, overwhelmed, and discouraged.

That means homework time can become a challenging power struggle. Your high schooler may feel overwhelmed with the sheer amount of material yet be too embarrassed to ask for help. They may act like they don’t care about studying but feel unsure of where to start. They may push back on a parent’s oversight yet still need help. They still need your involvement but don’t know how to ask.

There are actionable tactics parents and caregivers can use to help their high schoolers cultivate sustainable and productive study habits they can take with them for the rest of their lives.

5 Tips to ensure your high schooler gets on the right path to studying effectively

1. Establish a Consistent Routine

OK, this one isn’t exciting, and hopefully this is developed by high school, but it’s true. Good habits are the backbone to success. By carving out a predictable homework slot each day, you’re helping your teen set a mental cue that it’s time to focus. High schoolers often need to juggle many activities, such as sports, activities, tutoring, volunteering, part-time jobs, etc., so it may be challenging for them to do their homework right after school. There will be times when they come home from a long day, and immediately hit the books. Encourage them to try to bang out their homework in pockets of downtime or plan ahead for the week. If possible, pair this with a dedicated homework zone (or zones to break up the monotony), which can help your teen to start ‘switching’ to study mode once they enter.

2. Master the Art of Organization

It’s amazing how much we take for granted when it comes to what our teens understand about organization and planning ahead (cue the head-shaking). Encourage the consistent use of a planner, whether a trusty paper version or a digital calendar, to map out assignments and deadlines. Have your student put all their practices, appointments, social engagements, volunteer opportunities, and other tasks in there as well so they have a holistic view of their days/weeks/months. You can even include built-in downtime for them to hang out with friends, play video games, etc. The critical point is that they can visualize what their days look like and learn to make positive choices about how to spend their time each day.

This can even be a shared calendar so you can help manage and edit activities like when you may leave for a soccer tournament, attending Grandma’s 75th birthday party, or babysitting a younger sibling.

3. Time Management Techniques That Work

We believe in teaching our kids to be masters of their minutes, not slaves to the clock. Prioritizing tasks based on urgency and difficulty ensures they tackle the brain-bending stuff when their focus is sharpest. Introducing the Pomodoro Technique to your teens – an approach that focuses on splitting work tasks into timed intervals punctuated by short breaks – can work wonders for concentration and prevent that dreaded academic burnout. And by getting them to estimate how long tasks will take, they start to develop a realistic sense of time, a crucial skill that will serve them well beyond high school.

4. Create a Supportive and Encouraging Environment

While your child goes through a major transition as they enter high school, so must parents. Your role here is less drill sergeant and more supportive sideline coach. Let them know you’re in their corner, ready to field questions without taking over the game. Resist the urge to grab the pen and solve it for them; instead, encourage them to set a time to speak with their teacher or take advantage of teacher office hours. Consider enlisting a tutor or fellow classmate for support.

Instead of “telling” your student what to do, consider asking questions to get them to think critically about the situation. Questions like, “Did your teacher mention a time when you could come in for help?”, “What about studying a different way, such as creating flash cards, using Quizlet, or outlining the chapter?” or “Do you feel overwhelmed with the amount of the material or how tough the material is to understand?” These types of questions can help you get to the root of a problem and connect with your teen, keeping in mind that a little empathy can go a long way.

And never underestimate the power of positive reinforcement. Acknowledging their effort and celebrating those “aha!” moments, no matter how small, fuels their motivation and builds confidence. Remember, you’re building a learner, not just getting expecting top marks.

5. Unlock the Digital Arsenal: 3 Apps for Better Results

1. Dioji.app:

This new learning tool is like your high schooler’s study buddy that emphasizes the Pomodoro Technique, with individual submodules broken down into manageable chunks. This app is a powerful way to help empower students to study while enabling parents to track progress. It shows how the student’s quiz scores for each subject fares against peers of similar age and provides a quick and easy snapshot of which subjects their child needs to improve on and whether they are doing enough actual studying. It takes a more mentoring than interfering approach that is age-appropriate for high school students.

2. Todoist:

A handy multi-purpose planning tool. Todoist allows your child to create task lists, set deadlines, add reminders, and even break down larger assignments into smaller, manageable steps. Its collaborative features can also be useful if you want to oversee their progress or help them manage their workload.

3. Forest:

One of the biggest complaints of parents of kids of any age is trying to keep their students on-task and focused on their homework. For high school students who use their phones for everything, it can be easy to be incessantly interrupted by text messages, notifications, and the desire to check social media. For the easily distracted, Forest is a clever way to promote concentration. Your child plants a virtual tree when they start a study session. If they leave the app to use other apps on their phone, the tree withers and dies. It’s a visual and slightly guilt-inducing motivator to stay focused on the task at hand.

This is a contributed post from Ryan Ching, co-founder of Dioji.app, a study tool for high school students to access curriculum content on the go with personalized assessments that can help educators and parents track progress.

Are you looking for more support on raising your high school student?

We love this book, Life Skills for Teens, a highly rated guide to helping teens manage the unique stresses and pressures of today’s challenging high school environment.