A lot of parents tell us how their child finds a million excuses not to do their homework, study for exams or put away their phone.
After a while, you actually get tired of hearing yourself say the same thing over and over again.
Well, we definitely hear your frustration, and we get it. While academic success can mean different things for every student and family, there’s no doubt higher school marks mean higher ATAR scores and better university prospects for your child. At the end of the day, you just want to set your child up for a bright future and help them reach their full potential.
You may not feel like it, but congratulations are still in order! Why?
Because you’re reading this early in January, looking for ways to help your child! At a time when so many parents and students might still be in holiday high wishing for it not to end.
The Easiest Way to Change Your Child’s Habits
Most parents would leave changing study habits in the second half of the term just before exams start. Often than not, it’s mostly because parents overthink how they can help adjust their child’s behaviours and habits that time just outruns them. But honestly, waiting that long is just too late.
The first step towards effective study habits is simpler than you think: shift your child’s mindset first, and then their behaviour comes after. The key here is to make learning fun and proactive, finding the easiest path to build momentum that carries them through the year.
Once your child realises that changing mindsets is fun and gives them credit, that’s how they’ll shift their actions naturally to gets more marks, with less time, effort and stress.
How to Improve Study Habits When Checking in Doesn’t Work
As you probably already know being a parent yourself, teenagers will only give up what they’re enjoying for something they enjoy even more. And that’s usually not homework.
But there are ways to inspire that change and at Kalibrate-Ed, we’ve got plenty of strategies to make that happen.
With over 16 years of mentoring youth, we’ve seen firsthand how these three game-changing strategies can transform a student’s approach to studying.
Strategy #1: Create a personalised program unique to your child’s learning style
Just like one shoe size doesn’t fit everyone, education needs to be personalised to each child’s learning style. When you use learning methodologies that don’t fit their unique profile, studying becomes uncomfortable, painful, and limiting.
To uncover their unique learning profile (ULP), the first thing we need to do is listen. So if you need help finding out your child’s ULP, give us a call.
Strategy #2: Cultivate skills and techniques that boost efficiency
These skills should help your child consolidate their learning, so they excel and don’t panic during exams. It can range from effective notetaking and strategic time allocation, to comprehensive exam preparation techniques.
Just as athletes follow a personalised exercise routine, students must find study skills and techniques that boost their learning potential. If these techniques don’t align with their preferences and strengths, it’s harder to get things done. That only results to frustration and procrastination. However, if these align with their ULP, students produce better results with less time and effort.
Strategy #3: Create an Assessment Battle Plan
Exams, assessments, homework, extra-curricular activities and a thriving social life – that’s the life of a student. So believe it or not, it’s not just adults who have a lot on their plate!
Many of us can relate to feeling overwhelmed back in high school, especially when studying for high stakes exams.
An assessment battle plan is an indispensable tool to reduce feelings of overwhelm, procrastination, and low confidence. It breaks large tasks (i.e. exams, assignments) into manageable parts so they can organise multiple activities across subjects. It also identifies different resources needed for each task as well as outcomes desired.
Creating the right assessment battle plan for your child promotes mental well-being, confidence, and proactiveness.
Like the first two strategies, your child needs to be an active participant in creating the plan because it needs to fit their unique situation, strengths, and styles. The goal is to make the assessment process as stress-free as possible for both the student and the family.
Ready to Transform Your Child’s Habits in 2026?
These strategies are our ultimate weapon against poor study habits and academic performance. The common thread in all of them?
We focus on HOW students learn, not just WHAT they learn. We don’t aim for the cookie-cutter approach, where personal preferences are separate from learning methodologies.
If anything, their learning styles should guide their methodologies. When they own their system, they don’t need a push from an outside source. Even better, they perform and feel at their best — both in school and at home.
If you’re ready to help your child build effective study habits and accelerate their success, a personalised program might be exactly what you need. Leave us a message at community@kalibrate-ed.com.au and we’ll connect you with one of our education coaches who can get you started.
Or if you want to learn more about how you can start your child’s year in the best way possible, join us at the 2026 School Year Kick-Off, a free event designed to help parents get teenagers straight back into a good study routine and effective study habits after the extended break.
We’ll walk you through the proven strategies we’ve used to help struggling students move from failing to 100% in under eight weeks, including increases of up to 18 ATAR points, made possible by parents who implemented a ‘Launch Sequence’ before the first day of Term 1.
Save your FREE spot here:
https://studyresources.com.au/2026-school-year-kick-off
