Have Fun While Studying

If you find studying boring and difficult, make it fun in your own way! From making your environment more conducive to enjoying the study, to finding ways to help improve your concentration, studying can be made more interesting ... and yes, even fun (Well, almost)! Here is some guidance and advice to get you started.

Steps

Studying Alone

  1. Try interactive learning software to make things more interesting. If you are not the tech type you can have an older sibling/parent/guardian make a game for you and play it!
  2. Use music. Put on some music that has catchy tunes that will relax you. Never use music or songs that have lyrics to them: it will catch your attention too much, unless you are a type that can zone out lyrics, and it will take your mind off of studying. Something in the electronic music genres such as pop or jazz is great for studying. Also if you do not like music you can keep thinking about a favorite scene in a book or movie that you like.
  3. Keep snacks close. Get together some healthy snacks to nibble on as you study. Allowing yourself a little nibble every now and then helps the study time to pass more pleasantly. Also, it is often effective if you use snacks as a form of treat for yourself every time you complete a part of the work. Don't have a huge bag of chips - try to have something simple such as an apple or banana. Vitamin B is great but an occasional treat is okay like hard candy is fine because you don't need attention about that. Something with a lot of B vitamins such as nuts are great for studying because B vitamins are great for brain fun hours, no matter what. Decorate your spot with favorite things like postcards, knick-knacks, figurines, notes from friends etc. Even temporary spaces can be decorated with bits and pieces you keep in a portable box. But, try not to make your study area too distracting. The less clutter in your study area, the better.
  4. Provide good lighting and a comfortable chair which is at the right height for the desk. Nothing makes study more difficult than feeling uncomfortable as you sit and not being able to read the work properly. This is especially true in the winter months. It is also good to study near a window or natural light because that will have a bigger boost in energy than artificial light.
  5. Ensure adequate ventilation. Nothing sends a person to sleep faster than lack of air. Get fresh air into your room regularly - even in winter! Make sure it circulates, even if this means using a fan in winter to blow around warm air; this is better than stale, stagnant air.
  6. Have good temperature levels. Being too hot or too cold will make studying hard and you'll be tempted to crawl off to somewhere more comfortable. Turn the heating on or the cooling if you can. If you can't, then improvise and do what most students have always done to heat and cool: open or close windows & doors; use a red heat lamp at your feet (uses a lot less electricity); use a blanket; remove or put on extra layers; drink hot or cold drinks; put on a fan etc.
  7. Get cool or creative stationery and desk gear. Your supplies can encourage you to study - a pen that feels just right in your hand, paper that is so soft the pen glides over it, a book stand that stops your book from slumping over, a row of colored highlighters begging to be used and a scented eraser that smells delicious. Think of the things that you enjoy having around you at study time and make these your little props for amusing yourself with during the study. Don't let them distract you from the study though!
  8. Schedule time slots for study and other times for play. Don't make your study a never-ending process. Give it its time slot and devote yourself to it during this times and then reward yourself with the things you really feel like doing afterwards. Use the study time effectively, don't doodle, feel sorry for yourself or call up friends. That just stretches out the pain and increases your lack of interest. Assign the tasks to be done, do them and then forget about it and go and do the other stuff that you feel like doing. Also if you wanted to you could take a longer break and in the summer go start an ice cold lemonade stand and have friends help you enjoy yourself. Once it's time to come back in you can fell good and finish your studies while felling good about your self.
  9. Look at your study from a different perspective. Maybe it's study in an area you really dislike or you just don't care about. Try to think outside the actual pages before you and put the topic into a wider perspective. Think of the sorts of careers people have using this study topic; think of how everyday problems are solved using the techniques that the study is requiring of you. This can help to enliven otherwise dull matter and can also impress a teacher if you show how this knowledge applies elsewhere in some way. It demonstrates application to the topic in spite of your reservations. And hopefully, it also helps to chase away the boredom of it.
  10. Realize that study is about more than the topic before you. Sure, it might not grab you the same way that a basketball game outdoors would or a TV show you're missing because of the study. All the same, you're learning coping skills. You're learning how to prioritize, how to be patient and how to deal with something you don't like or feel disinterested in. Perhaps it doesn't feel like it at the time but these are some of life's most important skills because you'll come up against the temptation to fall into boredom many times - during work, a meeting, ceremonies, even parties! You're also learning about the general way the world works and where you might best slot into it yourself. How can you be sure you do or don't want to do things in life unless you know about them first?
  11. Get a pet to encourage you! If you have a household friend, such as a cat or a fish, you can have them around you as you study. Purring cats provide a great source of rhythmical comfort that can ease the studying time and a fish swimming around and around can do wonders for reminding you that it's worth studying so that you can become a bigger fish in a sea of many. And some of you may be thinking wait a minute what about dogs... well dogs are great companions for studying if they are trained they should be quiet when you are hard at work and playful when you re ready for a break.
  12. Take breaks. Frequent, short breaks are better for you and your thinking processes than infrequent, long breaks. Set an alarm on your computer or on a clock to go off every half hour and go for a stretch, get a coffee or milkshake, see what the weather's like outside. No matter how old you are, try to make your material into a game. It works so well. If you have a younger brother or sister, let them help you. Make up a song or a rap about your material. You would be surprised by how much it helps.
  13. If you are doing word problems in math, change the problem to make it more interesting or even a bit silly. For example: Beth has 5 apples. If she goes to the apple orchard and picks 5 times the amount of apples she already has, but drops 3 on the way home how many apples she have now? Isn't that a boring problem? You can make it more interesting. For example: Mr. Gidget has 5 bubbles. He goes to the magical bubble island and his friend Mr. Gadget gives him 5 times the amount of bubbles he already has. If Mr. Gidget drops 3 of the bubbles into a pit filled with needles, how many bubbles does he have? Isn't that better? If you use funny names, objects you like, or made-up places, the problem is 10 times more interesting, making it more likely that you will solve it.
  14. If you like music, create a short song about the general points of what you're studying. If you don't have time to make a song, search YouTube. Chances are is there will be some sort of relevant song. You might want to start with the Animaniacs. If you are the creative type take a song and wipe out all the lyrics and put your study material in there and sing it to the tune of your chosen song. If you just sing their songs to yourself it can help you to ace that test! Be sure to print out the lyrics to the songs and make it a point to sing the song at least once a night so you'll remember it.
  15. Make flash cards. The best site on the internet to make flashcards on is Quizlet. When making your flashcards, always do the term in capital letters and the definition in lowercase letters. Using different handwriting, colors, and decorating your flashcards will help you remember them. Be sure that you actually USE your flashcards. Just making them won't do anything for you at all.
  16. Go over your notes and draw pictures. For example, If one of your notes is "Ohio produces more cheese than Wisconsin", draw some cheese and a picture of Ohio smiling and Wisconsin frowning. This works really well if you are a visual learner.
  17. Make an easy retrieval table. Get a piece of large A4 paper and rule a table. Use bright color pencils, highlighters etc. and make a color order. For example,for history you could use neon green for dates, blue for the names of important people, and purple for what significant things they did.
  18. If you are reading your textbook, use funny accents or weird voices. It is also good if you record yourself and listen to the recording at least once every night. This is helpful in literature and history textbook.
  19. Use mnemonic devices. For example, the 5 great lakes = HOMES (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior) However, make them creative so that you can easily remember them. A creative one for remembering the eight levels of classification is Dumb King Philip Came Over From Greece Sneezing (Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species) Or you could do, King Henery Died Unexpectedly Drinking Chocolate Milk {Kilo, Hecto, Deca, Unit, Deci, Centi, Milli}
  20. Make small posters that you can hang up around your room or around your house. Decorate them and draw pictures. On the night before the test or quiz, present and explain them to your family.
  21. If you need to study for a spelling test, eat alphabet cereal in the morning! Have a parent or sibling read a word from your list to you. If you spell the word correctly with the cereal, you can eat it!
  22. Are you an IT/computer person? If you work well with computers, you don't have to stick to handwriting your notes, which can take forever and it can be very mind-numbing. Go ahead and use the computer if you find it much easier to type. You could create a cool animation with a voice-over, a Prezi presentation, a multimedia PowerPoint slideshow with music, pictures and video. If you write your notes on a Word Document, personalize them by creating your own personal logo and using it as a letter-head - and that way nobody can steal your notes.
  23. Pretend you're a teacher and create a test or quiz that you can take yourself or make your older sibling(s) and/or parent(s) take. Have a parent or older sibling that didn't take the test grade it. If you feel confident, you can grade it yourself.
  24. If you have to take a test on some boring book in English class, try replacing the characters in the story with characters from video games, TV shows, or characters from any other forms of media if you can. This makes the material a LOT more interesting.
  25. Try a change of scenery. Pack up your textbook, notes and binder and try heading to your local coffee shop or library. Bonus: someone there may be able to help you with your homework!
  26. Just relax; why not try getting a massage? It really works!
  27. Just try your best, don't overtax yourself and you'll do well.
  28. The more fun, the more worthwhile! Play math games online or play a writing game on paper!
  29. Try writing spelling words out 5 times. This will help you memorize them quickly.

Studying with Others

  1. If you have an older sibling at home, you can study together so you have company. If you do not have one, you can ask your mom whether you may go over to your buddies house (that is in your class) and maybe play a studying game, but be sure to get the needed studying done.
  2. Talk out loud. Everyone learns differently, and for some, talking out loud helps cement ideas into your head. Discuss sample test questions or homework problems with each other.
  3. Quiz each other. Take turns asking each other questions, or quizzing each other on vocab words.
  4. Race against each other. Set the timer and see who can finish filling in their worksheet/writing their notes the fastest. The slowest person loses. However this method might not be the best method as it isn't always fair - some people would rather take their time.
  5. Invent crazy punishments to motivate you and your friends if you just can't be bothered studying. For example the first person to leave without finishing their assignment isn't allowed to go to the upcoming school formal.
  6. You can create a scenario and make a short play or skit with a friend. Pretend you're a character from TV or Broadway etc - or make up your own character. Physically turn your notes into a script and memorize your 'lines' by talking it out loud, over and over again. Then when you memorize the entire script, talk out loud as you would if you were your chosen character. You could even use funny accents if you like, you could even sing it Broadway-style. If you're really confident, you can perform the skit in front of friends, teachers, parents etc...and make them laugh! It helps if you are a tactile learner (you learn by touching) or a verbal learner (you learn by talking). It seems a bit crazy at first but when you think about it, it actually works, especially if you do it with a friend. By looking at it this way, it doesn't seem like boring study at all!
  7. Study in the same place quietly, and take a break every half hour or hour. Do something fun, such as watch TV or play video games or a board game.



Tips

  • Take a glass of water before starting to read.
  • Don't slack off on notes. Never underestimate the power of writing what you learn by hand! (Neatly!!!) It really helps to let the info sink into your brain. And when you make your notes, use colorful highlighters to highlight key words. Write them as if you are teaching someone else about the subject. You'll see your grades improve.
  • Don't just go on in a hurry and understand nothing. Take your time, read slowly, ask your parents/older siblings about anything you don't know, and make sure you leave for school ready for a pop quiz or test. It's also a great idea to make studying or reviewing part of your weekend routine!
  • Make a list of things to do. That way you have everything planned out in front of you. It's pretty satisfying to check each item off. Add breaks every so often too: 1. Study Chapter 1, 2. Study Chapter 2, 3. Have a snack, 4. Study Chapter 3 and so on.
  • Turn off the TV and tell your family to be quiet!
  • Make a study corner.
  • If you have an exam, don't forget to start revising plenty of time before the exam for it can lead to boredom and stress if you begin to revise 1 or 2 days before that exam.
  • Healthy study snacks include raisins, sunflower seeds, dark chocolate pieces, dried cranberries, small crackers, cheese pieces, home-made cookies (in moderation!), Jello, fruit, vegetables sticks such as celery/carrot, hummus dip, homemade popcorn etc. Occasional lapses for times of severe stress (i.e., exams & essay due dates): small amounts of chocolate bars, store bought cookies, chips & slices of cake. All in moderation, of course, and regular, healthy meals must be maintained for the sake of your health.
  • If you are finding a subject boring because you are struggling with it, seek help from a tutor, older brother or sister, a parent, a friend or anyone you can trust to help you to learn it more easily. At college/university level, you may need to assess deeply if you have made the right choice or whether it would be better to change subjects or even courses. Don't despair - there is always help.
  • Rewarding yourself with treats such as being treated to a gummy bear for each paragraph can motivate you to study.
  • If you're having a really hard time settling into a study routine, speak with someone at school or university about it who is trained in study skills; they will have a lot of tricks to help you. Also look around your study space and assess it for distractions - is there too much noise, too much clutter, too many people wandering through without warning, inadequate light, cooking smells etc? Try to find the problems that distract you and either eliminate or reduce them.
  • Visit the library if your study is boring because you miss the presence of people around you. The general hubbub of others in the background can be a great sense of reassurance and motivation to some students. Plus, you can grab those old-fashioned things called books straight off the shelves and add your new-found knowledge to your studies!
  • Writing down notes is better than trying to remember your work of by heart.
  • Teach someone about the topic you are studying. You could teach a friend, or, if you are not allowed friends over until you've studied, teach a pet, doll or stuffed animal. It beings a huge element of fun into studying.
  • Every 20 minutes, take a 10 minute break.
  • Only use this tip if your school allows it. When studying, chew a certain flavor of gum. When taking the test, chew that same flavor because it might help you remember the info you studied.
  • Things not to do during a study break:
    • Check e-mails or social networking sites - you'll end up answering them instead.
    • Check on brothers, sisters, parents etc. - you'll end up chatting and getting waylaid.
    • Phoning or texting friends - you'll chat for ages.
    • Play games that are not related to the subject (video, ball, board, miniatures etc.) - you'll just get involved in them and forget to return.
    • Watching YouTube videos unrelated to the subject
    • Switching on the TV - you'll end up watching it, unless the TV program is related to something that you are studying.

Warnings

  • Don't ever promise yourself you'll just watch one show, just listen to one song, just check one email, or "just do one" anything. You'll end up losing track of time and get hooked into the TV, iPod, emails, or whatever it is.
  • For music: you can get too much into it and pay more attention to the rhythm than the study. Turn it off if this is happening to you. Not everyone can tolerate music or noise while studying.
  • Don't get down over study hurdles. Everyone can have mental blocks, gets fed up and needs for time-out from any activity, even for a period of time. Be gentle on yourself, take a break and get yourself back together again before you give up on your studies. Also, seek assistance if you have special learning disabilities; there are excellent, trained assistants in many schools and universities on call to help out. Have faith - they're there to help you, not to tell you that you can't do it.
  • Don't overeat to reduce stress and get adequate sleep during times of cramming, swotting etc. No need to make yourself ill - it's another of life's lessons about taking everything in your stride and coping well.
  • Note that if you have heavy, continuing stress, it could be time to talk to a doctor.

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