Powerful Learning Trick
Here’s a powerful tip that will skyrocket your child’s test-taking abilities by helping what he’s learning really stick.
And it’s so simple, even a five-year-old can do it! 
All you have to do is ask the child to document in some way the jist of what was learned in each subject that day. Younger children can draw a picture. Older children can write a few sentences.
Boring? So non-creative? Ah, therein lies the secret.
When we read information, we can move through quickly, get to the end of the book and then if someone asked us what we learned from that text, we say, “Uhm, well, see, it’s about… uhm… Well, hand it here again…”
But if two minutes are taken at the end of each chapter to form a two sentence synopsis of what the chapter was about, WOW! That information ends up rubber cemented to the brain. If the child talks about what she’s learned within 24 hours, and actually explains those two sentences to someone, the info ends up super-glued to the brain.
This simple tip is often overlooked, because by the end of a learning session, we’re likely eager to skip to something else, or we’re headed out the door. But taking that extra two minutes to summarize the basic ideas of what was learned means that come test time - there won’t need to be a ton of review or stomach ulcers. It’s all cemented in the brain, just waiting for retrieval.
It’s potentially the most valuable two minutes of the learning process!
Talk to you later!
Lisa
P.S. For numerous tips to help your children learn faster and easier, check out the “Brain Strategies” section at http://www.homeschoolhelper.com
A good idea. It ties in some with Mortimer Alder’s book “How to read a book.” He says an important part of reading a book is marking it up. By writing in the book and trying to highlight the keypoints you process the information much deeper.
Hi, Lisa
I’m not a homeschooling mom, but the tips you are sharing could easily be used by everyone, when you think about it.
If we would spend two minutes to write a sentence or two in a journal about what we’re learning about God, a course we’re taking, a fact we heard on TV, a news item we read, or something interesting about a friend or acquaintance that we want to remember, wouldn’t we be the richer for it? Writing things down helps our brains retain information. It also gives us repeated opportunities to review and remember things we really don’t want to forget.
Just a thought!
Hi Lisa
I homeschool a handicapped 12 year old. She keeps a diary of the main activities of each day. Most of it I dictate to her and she types it on the computer. This in itself is helpful. She now remembers certain words and type them with more ease. She has learnt to copy and paste difficult sentences and words. She has to read her diary regularly: because it is about her experiences, she is motivated to read it. Her diary can be read on our blog www.homeschoolingaspecialchild.blogspot.com