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How to Create Effective Routines to Teach Middle School Study Habits at Home

October 12, 2016 By Leticia

This sponsored post is written in partnership with Workman Publishing

Middle school. It’s a completely different ball game from elementary school. A new school where multiple elementary schools converge on a larger campus with more students, having lockers for the first time, figuring out bell times and how to get from one place to the next without being tardy, and managing assignments for multiple classes can be a huge adjustment along with the internal rise of tween hormones that dictate moods.

As a mom of a middle schooler, people often ask me how school is going for Emily. As a seasoned middle schooler, she’s doing well in 7th grade but I do admit there was a bit of middle school anxiety for all of us as her 6th grade year approached.

The transition from elementary to middle school can be a tricky adjustment period but parents can help ease school related anxiety by ensuring that your home provides a sense of consistency and calm in their hectic lives. The comfort of knowing what’s next provides structure that your home run a bit more smoothly even on the most hectic days. Systems put in place can encourage tweens to develop good study habits and time management skills that become increasingly important as they get older.

Start by taking a look at your day to develop effective routines that work with your schedule because believe it or not, there are routines already in place in your home even if you don’t consciously think about them every day.

Mornings in our house are always the same. In between waking up and the time the kids leave for school, we always get dressed, have breakfast, and pack lunches before heading out the door. Evenings are a bit different depending on the day’s after school activities but there is one constant- homework is done immediately upon coming home and often done at the kitchen table while eating a snack.

5 Ways to Foster Good Middle School Study Habits at Home

5 Ways to Foster Good Middle School Study Habits at Home on TechSavvyMama.com

Even though we’ve relied on routines since our kids were little, they’ve evolved as our kids have grown up. Routines that led to afternoon naps have been replaced by afternoons of extracurricular activities and homework.

Make Homework a Priority

Since one of the hardest things for new middle schoolers to manage is homework, make it a priority in your house by having your child sit down to do it when they first get home from school or their activities. One way I get my kids to sit down is to offer them a snack.

How to Create Effective Routines to Teach Middle School Study Habits at Home on TechSavvyMama.com

They’re always starving when they first get home from school and providing a snack right away helps refuel their brain while curbing pre-dinner starvation.

Take Advantage of Little Moments

On afternoons that we go straight from school to guitar lessons, we find little moments to start homework even when we’re not at home. Since it’s not worth the time to stop at home, we’re always 10-15 minutes early for guitar when we head straight to lessons from school.

How to Create Effective Routines to Teach Middle School Study Habits at Home on TechSavvyMama.com

Thomas knows that those minutes are precious and a good time for him to start on his homework for the night. Depending on the day, he may be able to finish his assignment in that timeframe or sometimes we’ll have to complete it when we get home. Using these small amounts of time to start homework provides a great lesson in the importance of time management.

Always Have Homework Supplies Available

How many times have your kids told you they can’t find pencils, erasers, graph paper, binder paper, or other supplies they need to complete their homework? Designate one place in your home to be the place where your kids do their homework and make sure it’s well outfitted with the supplies they need to be successful. If kids know where to go get the supplies they need, they can complete their homework faster.

How to Create Effective Routines to Teach Middle School Study Habits at Home on TechSavvyMama.com

Here’s a list of the school supplies you should have in your child’s room or in a central area of your home:

  • Sharp pencils
  • Extra eraser
  • Binder paper
  • Ball point pens (red, blue and black)
  • Stapler
  • Scissors
  • Hole punch
  • Reinforcements

Writing implements and art supplies are kept in a tote that the kids can carry to the table while the other supplies live in a cabinet that’s built in to our kitchen island. If you don’t have a cabinet or shelf to use, create a homework cart and stash it and the supplies in the corner.

Create Your Own At-Home Reference Library

In addition to keeping your homework supplies well stocked, it’s also important to create a place to house an at-home reference library. Even though I am tech savvy and we do look things up online, I do prefer for us to have reference books in our home library.

How to Create Effective Routines to Teach Middle School Study Habits at Home on TechSavvyMama.com

Since the kids tend to do their homework at the kitchen table, we cleared bookshelves in our adjoining family room to house reference books that our kids might need. Here’s a list of books to have in your at-home reference library:

  • Dictionary
  • Foreign language dictionary
  • Thesaurus
  • Atlas
  • Big Fat Notebooks: Math, English/Language Arts, American History, Science, and World History

How to Create Effective Routines to Teach Middle School Study Habits at Home on TechSavvymama.com

Big Fat Notebooks provide essential homework help for middle schoolers through a colorful comprehensive study guide that makes learning fun. This collection of five books includes everything you need for middle school Math, Science, American History, English/Language Arts, and World History. I love the visual format of the books that features bright colors, sketches, various fonts, and doodle to make learning fun and helps appeal to different learning styles.

Big Fat Notebooks: Essential Homework Help for Middle Schoolers That Makes Learning Fun. Details & giveaway on TechSavvyMama.com

Encourage Your Middle Schoolers to Take Notes at Home Too

Note taking isn’t something you just do at school but it is a skill. With the more practice kids get in note taking, the better they become. Chance are they might be inspired by the style of Big Fat Notebooks whose pages are filled with colors, doodles, and fonts that make certain topics and words stand out. Here is a free download from Big Fat Notebooks featuring 5 tips on How to Take Great Notes that is a handy guide for your middle schooler.

How to Take Great Notes. 5 Tips from Big Fat Notebooks on TechSavvyMama.com

For more information about the Big Fat Notebooks, visit the Official Site, follow the Workman Blog, or follow @WorkmanPub on the following social media channels:

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr

This is post is part of a compensated series written in partnership with Workman Publishing. All opinions are my own. Amazon affiliate links included in this post.

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Filed Under: Education Tagged With: #BigFatNotebooks, Big Fat Notebooks, homework resources, middle school, note taking tips, routines, school anxiety, study habits, study tips, teens, transitions, tweens, Workman Publishing

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DC area blogger & middle school computer science teacher focused on edu, family tech & teens. ❤s= 🚀 #STEM 🏃 #StJudeHeroes #legacyteamnuun 🏝 #Haiti

Leticia Barr
Still on that half marathon high! 🎉Mondays are Still on that half marathon high! 🎉Mondays are always better when you have new race bling to start your week! 🏅 I hope the start of your week goes well too! 💕
#medalmonday #stjudeheroes #runwithstjude #memphis #stjudememphismarathon
✅ = Half marathon #6 🎉 Yesterday was a gorgeo ✅ = Half marathon #6 🎉
Yesterday was a gorgeous day in Memphis for a race! The weather was absolutely perfect and my favorite part was running through the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital campus to soak it all in at mile 10. 🏃🏻‍♀️ Along the route were patients, former patients, and their families who are so incredibly grateful for the support of Heroes like me who fundraise, train, and run to ensure that no child dies in the dawn of life. 💕 I never go into any race with expectations. All I want to do is start the race having met my fundraising goal, have fun on the course, and cross the finish line.🏅So thank you for helping me accomplish those 3 goals. 🎉 This weekend St. Jude Heroes raised $14 million dollars to help St. Jude end childhood cancer. The $5,100 you helped me raise this year is part of that and I could not be more grateful! Thank you for allowing me to do what I do and run to support St. Jude. ❤️ I'm already looking forward to running in Memphis again next year! Who wants to join me? I’ll fundraise if you want to run with me! I’d be thrilled to be your race buddy if you want to run a 5K or 10K and promise to be the best cheerleader ever! 🙂 #stjudeheroes #runwithstjude #stjude #stjuderun #memphis
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to run If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to run St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend, here’s a look at the experience! 🏃🏻‍♀️My favorite part is always running through the campus of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital! ❤️Today I saw patients and their families lining the race course through campus cheering their hearts out for us Heroes. It was such a good reminder of why I choose to run this weekend year after year! 🥰 #stjudeheroes #runwithstjude #stjudechildrensresearchhospital #memphis #halfmarathon
✅= $5,000 fundraising goal met! 🎉🎉🎉WE 👏🏼 DID 👏🏼IT! 🎉🎉🎉 
It is the best feeling in the world going into tomorrow’s race having bypassed my original fundraising goal by an additional $1,000 and knowing how many of you are cheering for me! ❤️Half marathon #6, I’m coming for you! 🏃🏻‍♀️💪🏼🏅And yes, I had to go back for another photo just like yesterday’s but with my updated fundraising total! 😍 #stjudeheroes #runwithstjude #stjude #memphis #stjudememphismarathon
🎉$4,875 🎉During my flight, my seat mate aske 🎉$4,875 🎉During my flight, my seat mate asked me if I worked for St. Jude after noticing St. Jude Heroes embroidered on my jacket. When I told her I was in town for St. Jude Memphis Marathon and I ran to raise money, she opened her purse and dug around for the cash she had. 💵 She was very familiar with St. Jude’s mission from her involvement in her college sorority and is a regular donor. Even though she had just donated, she handed me a bunch of bills and wished me luck with my race 🏃🏻‍♀️I’ll be adding her gift to the total I had when I picked up my race bib. It was such a thrill to pick up my bib to see you’ve helped me surpass my original goal of $4,000 and to be so close to my new $5,000 goal! ❤️ #stjudeheroes #stjuderun #runforstjude #halfmarathoner #nuunambassador
Put on my running shoes And I boarded the plane To Put on my running shoes
And I boarded the plane
Touched down in the land of the Delta Blues
In the middle of the pouring rain 🎶  It is SO good to be back in Memphis! ❤️ Every year I think this might be my last race but the minute I get off the plane and start walking through the airport, I remember my why. My why becomes more apparent as I drive into downtown and past the @stjude campus where children and their families stay during their treatment for life threatening childhood illnesses which is free thanks to donors like you who ensure they never have to pay for treatment, housing, food, or travel. ✈️ At St. Jude kids get the best care, care that I could only hope for if my kids were to ever get sick. And that is my why. 🩺 On the St. Jude campus there are moms just like me who face the unimaginable every single day. I run for them so they can focus on helping their child live. ❤️‍🩹 I know if I was a mom of a patient, there would be an army of Heroes who would fundraise, train, and run for me and my sick child. I also run to give them hope which is something so many families have thanks to donors like you. St. Jude leads the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. When this is your why, it’s hard to stop which is why I just keep going. ❤️#stjudeheroes #runforstjude #memphis #whyirun #nuunambassador
It’s almost St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend! ❤️ This will be my 6th half marathon & 9th race benefiting @stjude kids and families. 🏃🏻‍♀️As a race veteran, you’d think my goal would be to improve my time but honestly, my goals are to raise money as much money as possible and to run for those who can’t. If you haven’t already donated but would like to, see the St. Jude link in my bio to make a tax deductible donation of any amount. 🙏🏻 I’m so so close to $5,000 and with your help, I know I’ll get there! Thanks in advance for any amount you can give and get ready for lots of race related posts and stories over the next few days! Sorry not sorry! 🏃‍♀️❤️🏃‍♀️
#stjudeheroes #stjudemarathon #runforstjude #stjudememphismarathon #stjuderun #stjude
How do you teach computer science concepts like th How do you teach computer science concepts like the cloud? 💻Through hands-on, interactive learning experiences like the ones offered for free at @AmazonWebServices Skills Center in Arlington, Virginia. 🏢 AWS Skills Centers provides free, fun ways to learn more about the cloud and job opportunities. Visit the link in my bio for more information and to plan your visit to the Skills Center! 🚘AD #computerscience #cloudcomputing #STEM #amazonwebservices #awsskillscenter
Thankful for a week filled with family, food, outd Thankful for a week filled with family, food, outdoor fun & being photobombed by my favorite girl. 💕 #thanksgiving #family #optoutside
Find a friend who will join you at OrangeTheory in Find a friend who will join you at OrangeTheory in the morning, celebrate the workout with lunch, and take ridiculous selfies with you and @theholdernessfamily after more bubbles and bites. Thank you @lisatasch for being that friend! I adore you! 🧡💪🏼🥂And huge thanks to @westfieldmontgomery for inviting use to meet Kim and Penn! They’re just as wonderful as you’d imagine them to be! 🎄#friends #holidays #westfieldmontgomery #moco #mocomd
Every day when their boy leaves for school, these Every day when their boy leaves for school, these two follow me upstairs and jump on his bed. 🛏️ One watches the driveway from the window and the other stares out the door, ready to alert the other if he comes returns. It’s the sweetest thing! 🐾 I reassure them he’ll be back later but I’m not quite sure what this pair is going to do next year when he heads off to college. I guess we’ll pass the days until the kiddos come home with long dog walks and console ourselves with treats. 💔  #chocolatelab #yellowlab #labrador #puppylove #rescuedog #labrescue #momlife
I’ve visited historic Old Town Alexandria many t I’ve visited historic Old Town Alexandria many times but today I got to know a different side of the city by hearing little-known stories of Africans and African-Americans, both enslaved and freemen, and visiting historic sites. ⛪️ According to @j_chapman99 (founder of @manumissiontour, 4th generation Alexandrian, and Alexandria City Council Member!!) Alexandria, Virginia was one of early America’s main centers for the international and domestic slave trade. As we drove through different historic neighborhoods, the contributions by Black Americans were apparent throughout. 🏡 It was a powerful day and an excellent reminder that Black history IS Virginia history which makes it a huge part of American history! 🇺🇸 If you’re in the DC area or happen to be planning a visit to Alexandria, I highly recommend booking a tour with Manumission Tour Company to educate yourself about important historical events and individuals whose contributions to local history are just as significant as those usually mentioned in history books. 📚Huge thanks to John for making me aware of a very important part of Old Town Alexandria’s history and also to @toyotausa for inviting me to join be a part of their Steeped in History initiative. 🚘 #ToyotaPartner #ToyotaSteepedinHistory #alexandriava #blackhistory
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