Good Habits For Life - Excel Academy

😎Building Good Habits: Lifelong Success Starts Now

HABIT (noun): hab·it ˈha-bət: a settled tendency or usual manner of behavior

Bad habits are hard to break. While good habits can lead to positive outcomes for many areas of life. Building healthy study, sleep, exercise and other habits has the potential to make beneficial behaviors an individual’s default choice throughout their lifetime. The great news? – – none of us are born with habits, good or bad. The 17^th century English poet John Dryden said, “We first make our habits, and then our habits make us.” How can you help your child develop the power of positive habits?

🥦Healthy Eating

They say, you are what you eat. Studies show that students with good habits such as eating breakfast daily, consuming fruits and vegetables as well as staying hydrated typically results in better school performance. Parents can encourage healthy eating habits.

Set a good example by maintaining balanced meal plans in your own diet.
Avoid using food as a reward or punishment as this can lead to unhealthy associations.
Go grocery shopping with your child, letting them be a part of the menu selections for the household.
Have children assist with meal prep including some fun with creative fruit and veggie shapes or arrangements.
Stock the kitchen with healthy options and offer healthy snacks, as well as hydrate with water or milk.

😴Healthy Sleep Patterns

A good night’s sleep is critical at all ages. Benefits include immune boosting, enhanced focus, energy and emotional regulation. Understand the amount of sleep needed at each stage of development as well as into adulthood. Help your child establish healthy sleep habits.

Maintain a regular bedtime and consistent wake-up time to keep internal clock regulated.
Develop calm bedtime routines such as a bath, reading, listening to music or having quiet conversation.
Discourage procrastination and encourage getting schoolwork done ahead of the timeframe just before bed.
Encourage daily exercise and activities that get the body moving.
Limit exposure to electronic devices at least one hour prior to bedtime and have a charging station outside the bedroom.

📚 School and Study Habits

Developing and maintaining some key organizational and work-study habits allows students to achieve academic goals, avoid becoming overwhelmed and build self-confidence. Together with mind-body health these good habits are valuable tools for a successful approach to life and challenges.
Contact Excel Academy for personalized tutoring support with learning and study habits to achieve goals.

Active Learning – this includes asking questions about the material, engaging in discussions and having your student teach someone else the material.
Space Repetition – Students should regularly revisit the same concept or topic vs cramming. Over time this enhances retention.
Mind Mapping – simplify complex concepts with diagrams, charts and other visual tools.
Focus on Understanding – rote memorization is not effective without an understanding of the why and how.
Practice Testing – solve previous exams, quizzes and mock tests to achieve “practice makes perfect” results.
Stay Organized – save time, energy and avoid stress by maintaining a high level of efficiency and organization. Use planners or digital tools to calendar, track assignments, exam prep and organize.
Keep Reading – good reading habits promote better learners, communicators and critical thinkers. At least 15-30 minutes each day enriches the mind and improves vocabulary. Explore varied content: newspapers, novels, blogs and articles according to areas of interest.

A habit is not formed overnight. Healthy, positive good habits for life are learned behaviors that develop through patience, consistency and a growth mindset. Typically, students who incorporate good habits early on tend to be more responsible and confident. In addition, they’re able to take on opportunities and cultivate success. This is in large part due to the “work smarter not harder” ethos built into all the good habit guidelines which together combine for a holistic approach that helps maintain healthy work-life balance.