Everyone will develop their own unique study plan based on their needs, but is there an easy way to do it?
According to Intelligent.com: “A study plan is an organised schedule that students create that outlines study times and learning goals. Just like with work or school schedules, students should develop a study schedule where they can block off days and times on their calendar dedicated to studying.”
Learning how to create an effective study plan is a critical skill that your child will be able to apply throughout their life.
Before you start, you need to establish learning goals for each session to use your child’s study time effectively. Your child’s study plan must be reasonable, personalised and realistic.
How to get started
Environment
Although the environment has nothing to do with the physical study schedule, it does relate directly to the effectiveness of the actual studying. Create a study environment with minimal distractions and possible interruptions. Refer to our blog post How To Create The Ultimate Study Space to learn more about this.
Time
Decide on a specific time to study. Try to be consistent and stick to a routine. When is your child’s most effective study time – do they study better in the morning, afternoon or evening? In other words, when are they most mentally alert?
Peak your child’s interest
Keep the process interesting with study notes, drawings etc. Do not be too rigid, but rather accommodate the unexpected. Keep it practical. This will help your child to stick to the schedule.
Guide and support
Reflecting on your child’s work ethic, maybe guidance and support is needed. Be realistic about their strengths and weaknesses. Remind your child that you are there for them and that they can always come to you for guidance and help.
Learning style
Understand that it is very important to take your child’s learning style into account. Take our short learning style identifier quiz to see what learning style best suits your child. Make sure that all study notes are prepared ahead of time. The study plan is just that: a time to study.
Test the plan
Draw up a similar plan ahead of time, for instance, to accommodate the preparation of study notes, recordings, etc. and see if it works with your child. Ask yourself if the time set aside to study is sufficient, and is your child able to concentrate for the proposed session. Determine how long should the breaks be between sessions – I have found that a 30 minute session broken up into 15 minutes of study, 5 to 10 minutes of question time and a 5 to 10 minute break, works well.
Remember this will differ according to age and content being studied. Some type of question time – verbal or written – is imperative to success. An easy and effective way of questioning your child and testing their knowledge is by signing up for a WorksheetCloud membership. Your child will be able to answer questions online that are based on the upcoming school exams.
How to create the study plan
Start by downloading one of our free study schedule templates here.
Then, list all the subjects that need to be studied.
Then, break down those subjects further into themes or individual worksheets. Remember certain subjects need study and practical time. Plan 4 sessions within an afternoon of 30 minutes each (let your child guide you on this as all children are different). 4 sessions should suffice, but you should likely add more sessions in over weekends particularly if your child is in high school. Some children prefer to only study one subject at a time while others prefer a variety.
Lastly, divide your child’s available time over the weekend and during the week into study blocks – remember to factor in time for questioning and breaks.
Giving your child a month in advance to study should be sufficient to revise all work. Most work should have been revised during class time and at home during the term in preparation for continuous assessment administered in the form of tests, projects, investigations, etc.
The final study plan:
- It essential to plan first e.g. colour code subjects to recognize them easily on the timetable (user friendly), determine where the study plan will be displayed and on what: a calendar (in pencil) or whiteboard – easy to erase/change. Make alterations as you go.
- Work backwards, when filling in, to determine how much time is needed.
- Remember to factor in practice exams at the end of the timetable. This will help expose your child to terminology used during exams and the layout of exam papers. Ask your child’s teacher for “old” exam papers if none are forthcoming, or sign up to WorksheetCloud for online and printable practice exams.
A successful study timetable has got to do with the planning you put in. This means good time management which involves effective prioritizing of time taking into consideration that some subjects need more time than others.
It is also important to remember that once created it will only be meaningful if used efficiently. Your child will need encouragement and reminders to stick to the plan.
Do you have study advice to share with other parents? Post in the comments below.
Grade 8 guidelines
Hi Lynn
Thanks for your message and our apologies for the delay in our reply.
You can find the general Grade 8 curriculum guideline, as set out by the Education Department, here: https://www.education.gov.za/Curriculum/CurriculumAssessmentPolicyStatements(CAPS)/CAPSSenior.aspx
I hope this helps. Please let us know if you have any other questions and we’ll be happy to assist.
Kayleen 🙂
Hello Adele
I have printed the grade 6 syllabus for all subjects on your website and compared or to the syllabus thus far that my daughter has been taught at her school wynberg girls junior school .I was hoping to find that worksheets would be available for most but found it not to be so ..that’s the only reason I have not signed up …I believe in thd worksheet system but it means it has to be on the work she has done at school …could I send her syllabus breakdown so you can compare and confirm which would be beneficial n similar in testing work that has been taught ….or it means I must create my own worksheets of her work done thus far
Hi Sunita
Thanks for your message.
I’m sorry to hear that you were not 100% happy with the content that you found on our website.
Our content is 100% CAPS aligned and we cover all the necessary content for the following Grade 6 subjects: English, Afrikaans, Maths, Natural Science, History and Geography.
I am going to email you a link to our product tour and will be happy to further discuss what content we currently offer there.
Kayleen 🙂
kindly advise what grade 8 subjects you have on worksheet cloud. Thank you.
Hi Sunitha
Thanks for your message and interest in WorksheetCloud.
We currently offer the following subjects for Grade 8:
English Home Language
English First Additional Language
Afrikaans Home Language
Afrikaans First Additional Language
Maths
Natural Science
History
Geography
You can also see a full list of subjects and topics we currently cover in each grade on this page: https://www.worksheetcloud.com/worksheet-subjects-topics/
WorksheetCloud is an online resource that gives you access to printable worksheets to help your child revise and practise for class tests and exams. All the worksheets are based on the South African CAPS curriculum which means that they are 100% relevant to the work your child is doing in class.
We also include detailed memorandums that include the answers and model explanations and working-out for each and every question.
If you feel ready to sign up to WorksheetCloud, you can get started here: https://www.worksheetcloud.com/sign-up/
I hope this helps. If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact us at any time and I’ll be very happy to assist!
Kayleen 🙂
Yes we should create a plan with cracking exams. Reading your post is about “create an exam study plan with this easy guide” is really interesting and i think more beneficial for learners.Really thanks
The main fact that we need to make a study plan is to grow our minds
Hi Kayleen can I have exam papers and memo for gr4,5,7 and 9 please, and the price thank you.
Hi Shirleen
Thanks for your message.
We have replied to you with assistance via the email address you provided with your name.
Please let us know if you do not receive my message and we’ll be happy to help you further.
Kayleen 🙂
Please send me a link for grade six
Hi Mmule
Thank you for your message and interest in WorksheetCloud!
Here is a link to our Grade 6 content, where you can see what subjects we currently offer for that grade: https://www.worksheetcloud.com/worksheets/grade-6-caps-worksheets/
We offer two different membership plans to suit your needs.
Online Worksheets + Printable Worksheets Plan:
This plan gives you access to our brand new online worksheets that your child can complete interactively on their computer, tablet or smartphone. The online worksheets are marked automatically and give your child immediate feedback on their progress, including enrichment and full explanations for every question. This plan also gives you the option to print worksheets to complete with a pen and paper, as well as memorandums.
Printable Worksheets Only Plan:
This plan gives you access to printable worksheets that your child can print and complete on paper. You can also print the memorandum so that you can mark your child’s worksheet. The memorandum gives enrichment and full explanations for every question.
Pricing:
You can choose to pay on a monthly membership basis, or pay upfront for a 12 month annual membership.
Online + Printable Worksheet Plan: R 120 once-off, plus R 95 per month
Online + Printable Worksheet Plan Annual: R 975 once-off (you get 3 MONTHS FREE)
Printable Worksheet Only Plan: R 120 once-off, plus R 60 per month
Printable Worksheet Only Plan Annual: R 720 once-off (you get 2 MONTHS FREE)
The pricing above is per learner.
On 1 January each year, your child’s account is automatically upgraded to the next grade. So for example, if you sign up a Grade 4 learner now, then on 1 January that learner will be upgraded to Grade 5 at no extra cost.
If you feel ready to sign up, you can get started here: http://www.worksheetcloud.com/sign-up/
I hope this helps. If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact us at any time or visit our FAQ at http://help.worksheetcloud.com for quick answers to your questions.
Kayleen 🙂
Why doesn’t WorksheetCloud not do all the grade 8 subjects like Biology, Accounting, Business Studies?
Thanks for your comment Ben!
We don’t currently cover Biology, Accounting, Business Studies in WorksheetCloud. Our Curriculum Team is currently looking at adding additional subjects like this and we hope to have it available in the future. We do our utmost best to provide you with the highest quality worksheets which takes a tremendous amount of time.
You can see a full list of subjects and topics we currently cover on this page: http://www.worksheetcloud.com/worksheets/