5 surprising home habits that affect your child’s learning

Not eating breakfast can lower a child’s concentration levels, with recent research showing that the odds of an 11-year-old student achieving an above average score in a test are twice as high if they eat breakfast, compared to those who do not.

Research has shown that eating breakfast can improve attention and memory. One particular study found that students who skipped breakfast or only had an energy drink performed worse in attention and memory tasks compared to those who had eaten breakfast.

Studies suggest that parents play a vital role in their child’s reading development, but only 2 per cent report reading to their children every day.

Researchers have also found that children who read frequently for pleasure by the age of 10 and more than once a week by the time they were 16 years old performed significantly better academically than those who didn’t read as much.

Better reading comprehension in children has been associated with more empathy, improved cognitive development and greater concentration and academic success.

The habit of reading is heavily linked to parental attitudes towards it. So, it is important to not only read with your child, but for them to see you reading, too. You are your child's best role model, so make sure they know what part reading plays in your life.

Recent large-scale studies have found that establishing clear rules and guidelines about children doing their homework has a significant effect on their achievement. Explaining why these rules are in place can also help your child make better decisions when they are older and have to manage their workload independently.

Interestingly enough, separate research has found that children who completed their homework with their parents' help actually do worse, as presumably they tend to rely on them and therefore put less effort in themselves.

Out of all the things parents can do, having high aspirations and expectations of your child has been found to have the biggest impact on grades.

Parental expectations include how important parents feel school is and their attitude towards teachers and the value of education.

These values are communicated to our children each and every day through the things we say and our behaviours. Children look to their parents for an indicator of a) what they can achieve and b) how important a task is. That’s why regular communication with them about their school life is important.

Most people aren’t aware of how much sleep their child actually needs (depending on their age it is 9-10 hours even for teenagers). And yet, sleep has been associated with better academic performance, better well-being, enhanced concentration, attention and emotional management.

Having a bedtime routine will help your child get enough sleep. The brain likes consistency and calm before sleep, so having regular bedtimes in a low-stress environment in the build-up to bedtime will help. Furthermore, we strongly recommend severely limiting access to electronics in the build-up to and during bedtime, as evidence suggests this can have a significant impact on both the quantity and quality of children's sleep.