It’s back to school season again. Whether you’re sending your kid(s) off to college, high school, middle school, or elementary school, there are some things they must possess or must hone before starting their new journey in life.
We’ve compiled a list of 10 things that every student needs to survive school. We’ll go over each item and explain why it’s important.
1. Good Nutrition
Nutrition is important for learning because it helps kids grow strong bones, muscles, and brains. Kids who eat well perform better academically than those who don’t.
Kids who eat healthy foods tend to be healthier overall. They’re less likely to be overweight, and they may even live longer.
But nutrition isn’t just about eating right. The quality of food matters too.
Foods that are grown locally are fresher and taste better. Food that’s organic is produced without pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. And food that’s free range means chickens were allowed to roam outside instead of being confined indoors.
All these factors contribute to a nutritious diet. So when you talk to your child about nutrition, emphasize the importance of eating fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and dairy products.
Also discuss the benefits of drinking water and limiting sugary drinks. Water helps the body digest food and flush out toxins.
2. Healthy Sleep Habits
Sleep is essential to our health and well-being. We need sleep to maintain our energy level, to keep our immune system strong, and to repair damaged cells.
But many kids today are getting too little sleep. Kids who don’t get enough sleep are at risk for poor grades, obesity, depression, anxiety, and behavioral problems. They’re also more likely to engage in risky behavior, including drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes.
To help prevent these problems, parents should encourage healthy sleep habits in their kids. Here are some tips:
- Make sure your child goes to bed and wakes up at the same time every day.
- Keep electronics out of your child’s bedroom. Electronics emit blue light, which suppresses melatonin production and disrupts sleep patterns.
- Limit screen time to no later than 9 p.m.
- Don’t give your child a snack right before bedtime. Snacks stimulate activity and keep them awake longer.
- Get your child involved in activities that require concentration, such as reading books, playing games, or working puzzles. These activities help kids learn and concentrate.
3. Exercise Regularly
If you’re not exercising regularly, you may experience health problems later in life. Exercise improves your mood, reduces stress, and makes you feel better overall.
But there’s another reason to exercise regularly—it boosts your memory. Studies show that people who exercise regularly perform better on tests of short-term memory than those who don’t.
And when you exercise regularly, you build stronger muscles and bones. So you’re less likely to break a bone or suffer a heart attack or stroke.
Finally, exercise increases your energy level. This means you’re more productive throughout the day. And you’re less likely to fall asleep during class or study sessions.
So whether you’re a student or not, exercising regularly really has a lot of benefits.
4. Positive Attitude
Attitude is everything. Positive attitude means being happy, optimistic, and confident. Students who are positive tend to be happier, more successful, and better able to cope with challenges.
Students who are negative often feel unhappy, depressed, and stressed out. They’re not very productive, and they struggle academically.
When students are positive, they’re more likely to learn and perform well. They’re more likely to achieve academic goals, and they’re more likely to become leaders in their communities.
Positive attitude helps kids stay motivated and focused throughout the day. It makes them more resilient when things go wrong. And it gives them the confidence to take risks and try new things.
Positive attitude is contagious. Kids who are positive influence others around them. So if you want your child to succeed in school, help him develop a positive attitude.
5. Study Skills
Students who study well tend to perform better in school than those who don’t. So, what does it take to be a student who studies well?
First, students must understand the importance of studying. They should realize that learning is essential to succeeding in school. Students who study well develop a habit of studying, and they’re able to maintain this habit throughout the school day.
Second, students must learn how to study effectively. This means developing effective study skills. These include things like organizing materials, setting goals, taking notes, reviewing material, and summarizing information.
Finally, students must practice these study skills over time. The more they practice them, the better they become at studying.
If students master these three steps, they’ll be ready to succeed in school.
6. Time Management Skills
Students who lack time management skills often find themselves overwhelmed by too many assignments, projects, tests, and exams. They feel stressed out and frustrated because they’re unable to complete everything on time.
To avoid this problem, students must learn to prioritize tasks and set realistic deadlines for each assignment. Students should also be aware of the amount of work required for each task and the amount of time needed to complete each project.
If students fail to plan ahead, they may end up working late at night and missing important classes. This leads to poor grades and makes them ineligible for scholarships and financial aid.
Students should also keep track of their progress throughout the semester. This helps them identify areas where they need improvement and allows them to adjust their study habits accordingly.
Finally, students should use technology to help them stay organized. For example, they can create a calendar on Google Calendar to remind them when assignments are due, and they can use Evernote to store notes and reminders.
7. Organization Skills
Students who organize themselves well tend to be better prepared for school and even life after graduation. They’re able to keep track of assignments, study materials, and deadlines.
They also tend to be better at managing their time and money. And they’re more likely to complete homework and projects on time.
If you’re looking to improve your organizational skills, here are some tips to help you stay organized:
- Keep everything in its place. This includes books, papers, notebooks, and folders.
- Create a calendar to plan out your week.
- Make a list of things to do each day.
- Be realistic about your workload.
- Don’t procrastinate.
8. Communication Skills
Communication skills are important for every student, especially those who plan on attending college. Students who communicate well tend to be more successful academically and socially.
Students who lack communication skills often struggle with homework assignments, tests, and exams. They may not understand instructions, ask questions, or fail to complete tasks.
To help students improve their communication skills, parents should encourage them to practice speaking out loud and writing down ideas. This helps students learn to express themselves clearly and effectively.
Another way to improve communication skills is to teach students how to listen. Listening is an essential skill for any student because it allows him/her to understand others’ points of view.
Finally, students should learn to work together. Collaboration improves teamwork and increases productivity. Working together means working with others, sharing information, and solving problems.
9. Social Skills
Students who lack social skills often struggle academically. They may be shy, withdrawn, or unable to communicate effectively with others. These students tend to avoid group activities and prefer individual pursuits.
They’re not alone. Many kids today suffer from poor social skills and this problem isn’t limited to just elementary schools.
If you want to help these students succeed in school, you must teach them social skills. Social skills include things like making friends, dealing with conflict, and understanding body language.
To help students develop social skills, try teaching them empathy. Empathy is the ability to understand another person’s feelings and emotions.
Empathy helps students learn to relate to others. It teaches them to put themselves in another person’s shoes and recognize when they’re hurting someone else.
Teach students to also use positive self-talk. Positive self-talk is talking to yourself in a way that makes you feel better about yourself. You might say, “I’m glad I didn’t get mad when he said that.”
When you practice positive self-talk, you’ll become more confident and comfortable in social situations. This confidence will help you build friendships and improve your social life.
10. Responsibility
Students who take responsibility for their own learning tend to be more successful than those who blame others for their failures.
If you’re responsible for your own learning, you’ll learn faster because you won’t waste time blaming others. Instead, you’ll spend your time studying and practicing.
When you’re responsible for your learning, you’ll also feel better about yourself. You’ll realize that you’re capable of succeeding, rather than feeling like a failure.
This is true whether you’re taking classes at school or working toward a career goal.
So what does this mean for your kids? Let them take ownership of their life and their future.
And remind them that there’s no shame in failing. Everyone fails sometimes. In failure, one is also given a chance to learn even further.
In conclusion, students need to have a positive attitude toward learning, be willing to work hard, and be able to manage their time well. They also need to understand that education isn’t only about grades and test scores—it’s about developing skills and knowledge that will serve them throughout their lives. And finally, they need to realize that being successful doesn’t mean being perfect—it means working hard to achieve your goals and doing whatever it takes to succeed.