Starting with a powerful warm-up
A 2025 study at the University of Eastern Finland found that students had significantly better focus and working memory after 9 minutes of high-intensity exercise before tackling intellectual tasks.
A 2020 meta-analysis in the medical journal Translational Sports Medicine discovered that a 10-15 minute physical activity session can also bring significant improvements in executive function and academic performance in children.
Exercise helps regulate neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine, which play an active role in learning and motivation. It increases blood and oxygen flow to the brain, enhancing focus and processing speed.
Children should alternate between fun physical activities and studying to increase mental endurance. An article in Parents magazine points out that short breaks with activities like jumping jacks or brisk walking help increase focus, creativity, and enthusiasm when doing schoolwork.
Parents can implement short, timed study sessions to minimize distractions and maintain high learning motivation in students.
 |
Illustrative photo: Pexels |
Illustrative photo: Pexels
Utilizing micro-learning
Over-learning may seem effective, but it actually reduces the ability to memorize. Instead, short study bursts of 5-10 minutes help increase the ability to remember, understand, and apply knowledge. For example, taking advantage of quick study sessions while waiting for water to boil or before taking a shower can improve long-term effectiveness.
With micro-learning, instead of long lectures or in-depth reading comprehension, children are exposed to small, easy-to-understand lessons focused on a single concept, skill, or piece of knowledge.
These small lessons can be built into daily routines, turning learning into a habit.
Pretending to teach someone else
The Protege Effect refers to the "pretend self-teaching" technique, where children express and teach themselves (or pretend to teach others) about something they understand or are learning. Talking to themselves or an imaginary audience helps them consolidate knowledge and comprehension.
A 10-minute review session by vocalizing thoughts can consolidate knowledge much better than silent reading.
Research also shows that pretending to teach oneself can help identify gaps in one's own understanding.
Education experts also advise parents to let children study with one or two friends and let them teach each other. According to research, deeper cognitive processing is activated when you explain something to someone else or even to yourself. When students teach their friends instead of self-studying, a 2024 study on Edutopia showed that their test scores improved by nearly 50%. So, you can have your child spend 10 minutes "teaching" a classmate a new concept, as this is an excellent test of comprehension and memorization.
Recording knowledge or using flashcards
Children can use sticky notes or flashcards to train their brains through active recall and spaced repetition.
Flashcards often combine words and images, activating both visual and linguistic memory systems. Information is divided into smaller parts, making it easier for children to understand. As a result, children quickly recognize what they know well and what they have difficulty with, allowing them to focus on what's needed. Repeated exposure helps increase recall speed, which is useful for math calculations, vocabulary, or multiplication tables.
Creating mind maps
Creating mind maps is a very scientific learning method for children. Mind maps help visualize structure and connect ideas by making complex topics easier to understand and remember. Researchers have noted that a 10-minute mind mapping session can help students grasp broader concepts at a glance. Creating a quick mind map helps organize and review information effectively.
Maintaining a study schedule
A study schedule is not just a timetable; it's a structure for learning and self-regulation. For children, a schedule has a strong impact on academic results, memory, motivation, and mental health. This helps improve time management skills, reduce stress and anxiety, enhance learning performance, increase discipline and responsibility, and allow children time for rest and play.
A short, consistent study habit, such as reading 2-3 pages of a book or reviewing a few flashcards at a fixed time each day, will turn effort into habit. Consistency helps reduce mental pressure. Building a 10-minute daily study habit will improve learning ability and nurture long-term discipline.
Thuy Linh (Timesofindia)
