According to some studies, it may be the study skills they have learned. Here are five skills that can transform your child into a better student:

1. Goal setting. Before starting any study period, students should set goals. Ask your child, “What is the most important thing you have to do today?”

2. Organizing time. To help your child organize her time, figure out everything she has to do. Then estimate how long each will take. Finally, use her study goals to decide which assignment should be done first.

3. Asking questions. Successful students make up questions as they read. Instead of just taking in information, they think about the questions the text is answering. By asking questions and writing them down, successful students are helping themselves understand what they are reading.

4. Measuring progress. If your child has decided to spend an hour reading a chapter in his science book, he should check every 15 minutes or so to make sure he’s moving fast enough.

5. Discovering patterns. Recognizing patterns gives your child a powerful study tool. As children look for patterns, they understand the information better. Instead of an unrelated series of facts, what they have learned begins to take shape—a shape they have given it.

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