I made good grades in high school and graduate school. My college GPA was average. While trying to achieve success in school, I used rote learning. Rote learning is the memorization of information based on repetition.
With every study session, utilizing repetition felt like I was beating information into my brain. Finally my brain said, “Okay, I have it memorized.”
Studying was not a fun event for me. There had to be a better way.
The Solution
When I became pregnant, I didn’t want my sons to have the same experience as myself. Therefore, I started doing research on learning techniques and memory tricks.
I found that you can remember information quicker through your body and location. There are also brain tricks to learn Bible verses or speeches quickly.
Additionally, I learned that babies’ brains soak up information at a faster rate during the ages of 0-3.
My son uses memory tricks in his studies. For example, if I give my oldest son a list of 20 spelling words, in 20 minutes he will be ready to take the test.
Because I incorporated my research about babies brains, oth my sons learned the alphabet, phonics, numbers 1-10, colors, and shapes by 20 months.
Below are frequently asked questions I get from parents and educators.
How Can I Study In a Smart Way
There are many smart ways to study. My favorite way is to use the Pomodoro Technique.
Our brains start to lose optimal focus after 25 minutes. Therefore, in order to have optimal concentration, try to break tasks into 25 minutes of focused blocks of time.
This is also called the Pomodoro Technique and will help your child focus on the task at hand.
After 25 minutes has ended, have your child take a break. After the break, they can come back to the task for another 25 minutes.
How Can I Memorize Anything Quickly?
One of the best ways to memorize information quickly is to use memory tricks. I previously mentioned that while in school, I use rote learning to study and memorize information.
Rote learning is boring and it takes longer to learn new material. Additionally, it does not use your child’s creativity and imagination.Many times, children forget the information once they take the test.
A more effective way to remember information is with memory tricks. We use various memory tricks to learn vocabulary, definitions, the periodic table, poems, Bible verses, facts, lists, etc.
An example of a memory trick you probably used in school was “Please Excuse My Dear Aunty Sally” for order of operations in math class.
Using memory tricks is a more effective and fun way for your child to remember information 2 or 3 times faster.
Children will begin to like studying even when they dislike the topic they are learning about.
How To Get Better At Reading Comprehension
There are a variety of methods children can use to get better at reading comprehension. I will tell you three steps to introduce to your child today!
The first step is to do a Picture Walk.
Before your child starts reading, have them should flip through the book and look at the pictures, captions, bold words, charts, diagrams, headings, and questions in the back.
This will give them a feel for what the book is about. Their brain will be ready to receive the information they are getting from the book.
The second step is to read carefully.
This means reading slowly, making notes in the margins, and doing some highlighting. They don’t have to do a lot of highlighting.
The third step is (instead of doing a lot of highlighting) to have your child practice active recall.
After reading the book, they should look away and see if they recall the main ideas in the text. This ensures they know the information in the book in various environments like the bus, at home, or in school.
They will also do better on tests and have a better understanding of what they are reading.
How To Get Better Grades in Math
The secret is Interleaving.
Interleaving is the practice of mixing various problems, questions, or concepts within a topic your child is trying to learn. This is more effective than practicing one type of question or problem repeatedly.
So, I will use multiplication as an example.
Imagine a child has just learned the multiplication tables. Once they learn it, have them do a mixture of practice problems with three multiplication, two addition, and three subtraction problems.
When they take a test or when they have various math problems, they will know WHEN to use the operations. This creates mastery because not only will your child know how to do one mathematical operation, they will know WHEN to do it.
This will help them do better on word problems as well.
Many times, this is difficult for kids in school because in text books, they teach kids one concept at a time. However, at home you can give them practice problems of various concepts within a subject, whether it is math, science, art, language arts, etc.
How To Stop a Child From Procrastinating
One way to stop procrastination is to make a plan by creating a procrastination prevention chart!
Hear me out.
You will create two columns on paper. One column will be labeled Distractions. The other column will be labeled Solutions.
On the Distractions side, write behaviors that cause your child to procrastinate like “Smart Phone.” On the Solution side, write how to prevent the Distraction like “Put smart phone in another room while studying.”
Let’s keep going.
In another row write….
Distractions = “Noise in Home”
Solution = “Wear Noise Cancelling Headphones to Block Noise”
In another row write…
Distractions = “Sibling talks to me while studying”
Solution = “Create Do Not Disturb Sign for Door”
This is a way for your child to preplan solutions to distractions while they are studying. It will help them focus more while studying and become an independent problem solver.
Here is my ultimate solution to learning struggles kids may have in school
The tips given is a great. Additionally, I want to share with you The Ultimate Guide to Accelerating Your Child’s Memory and Learning: 65 Quick Learning Tips, Memory Tricks, and Study Hacks Resulting in Less Study Time and Stress
Click the image below to purchase the ebook…
You will learn the following and so much more…
One proven way kids can do well on standardized tests
5 ways to create a distraction-free study environment in the home
How to help kids become independent learners
One mistake kids make when they have a writing assignment
One mistake parents make when reading aloud to kids
How children can learn facts fast and effectively
3 types of books that will teach children problem solving
You will also get other resources like…
130 FREE Science Experiments, DIY Art and STEM Project, and Learning Games
5 Fun Road Trip Activities for the Whole Family
5 Podcasts make your car a learning machine for kids
School has started for many kids! Children will be studying for tests and completing school assignments. Many parents tell me, “My child has trouble completing homework?” If you are this parent then watch the video below. This tip may be the life saver you need!
Learning the alphabet is one of the first academic concepts children are exposed to at home and/or school. It can be a daunting task to learn the alphabet in the beginning. Kids must know 26 upper and lower case letters. Fortunately, there are helpful tools to help children master the alphabet like games and books. Today we want to share a fun and entertaining alphabet book for preschoolers and up.
Many children get the letters confused, which is understandable. I remember getting the lowercase b and d mixed up during a writing assignment in the first grade. Our teacher hung those writing assignments on the wall. I still remember being embarrassed that the letter d was where b should have been. Every day, I wanted to take the paper down.
Corban has fond memories of learning the alphabet. When my baby boy was born, Corban wanted to write an alphabet book to help his younger brother and other kids learn the letters in a fun way. I was deeply touched by his desire and decided to help him achieve this goal.
Corban worked on the book,Alexander’s Hide and Seek Alphabet, for six months. He took the lead on the whole process from writing and critiquing the illustrations to approving the cover and marketing the book. While there are many alphabet books out there, this book has a different spin.
In the short video below, my son will tell you more about his book
Alphabet Book with a FUN MEMORY TRICK
Alexander’s Hide and Seek Alphabet uses a learning technique called the “Loci Method” to help kids learn and review the alphabet. The Loci Method is a memory tool which connects the information kids want to remember with places they know well. We used Alexander’s home in this book because children know their living spaces very well. Additionally, we used familiar household items to make it easier for children to find what they are seeking.
In order to make the Loci method fun for kids, we incorporated the game, Hide and Seek. We encourage you to take this book with you while walking through your home to find each item in this book. Have your child identify the beginning letter and sound of the item. For example, when you find an apple in your home, encourage your child to pick it up, say “apple” and its phonetic sound “ah”.
If you don’t have something named in this book, find an alternative in your home. Make up your own Alphabet Hide and Seek Game and play with your child.
Your child will be amazed that they could find so many things that start with each letter of the alphabet in their own home.
Have fun playing, learning, and reading this alphabet book for preschoolers and up!
Click the image below to access the book on Amazon
I think playing games are the best way for children to review information. Games incorporate three of the five senses for learning which are sight, hearing, and touch. Sometimes, if you are creative, you can include smell and taste as well. Below I will tell you about a 3rd grade math game we created.
This week, I decided to review multiplication and division with my son. He is starting to multiply and divide multi-digit numbers. I wanted to ensure that he mastered his times tables from 0 – 12.
My son loves games and competition. Therefore, playing this game really increased his motivation to get every math problem correct.
In order to make our review games more interesting, I like incorporating his favorite toys. This week he wanted to use Turbo Bot as a way to earn extra points in this activity. Turbo Bot is a toy that can dance, spin, explore, and even record your voice.
Watch the video below to see how we used Turbo Bot to make this 3rd grade math game more challenging and exciting.
Also you can use this game to review any concept, whether its addition, history, or science facts. We encourage you to be creative and use the game in your own way.
The video below comes from my son’s YouTube Channel, Corban’s Fun Learning Adventures. Please like and subscribe if you like what you see.
Spring is here and it brings lots of showers. I have the perfect activity to help your kids understand why rains falls. They will create a rain cloud! This is an easy science experiment for kids at home.
This activity requires household materials. Below is what you will need….
We first saw this easy science experiment for kids at our local science center. This demonstration helped my son, Cory, learn how rain is formed. It is fun and easy to do. This is an activity that you can repeat with easy clean up.
Below is a video my son created to show you how to do this experiment. It comes from his YouTube channel, Corban’s Fun Learning Adventures.It is full of science experiments, learning games, and DIY projects. Please subscribe if you like what you see.
We love to incorporate my son’s toys in his learning. One of his favorite toys is called BEYBLADE. It has energy layers that unleashes a fast spinning top. You can battle with another person to see whose top spins longer. It is a fun toy for kids. Therefore, we thought it would be fun to play a word game for kindergarten using BEYBLADES.
View the bottom of this post for reading gear!
BEYBLADES AND LITERACY
In the game, you got a point for winning the BEYBLADE battle. You also received points for the amount of words you could make. The amount of points gained depended on the number of words you made.
I wanted to give my son, Cory, a challenge. Instead of putting letters together and have him identify words, I gave him random letters and asked him to make words. I participated by making words when he gave me random letters. He did a great job with this game. In fact, he identified some words that I missed when it was my turn.
We helped each other in this game. As a result, we competed against each other but worked as a team simultaneously.
Try this word game for kindergarten with your child. You can actually play it with children of all ages. You will have to adjust the game according to their level.
Below is a video showing you how to play the game. This video comes from my son’s YouTube channel, Corban’s Fun Learning Adventures. Please subscribe if you like what you see.
If you have a child that loves to read, check out the shirts below. Just click on the image. Adult sizes available too!
