Study Tips for Those with Young Children

Embarking on a journey of personal and professional development while juggling the responsibilities of parenthood can seem like an insurmountable task. Yet, for many parents and carers, advancing their careers through further study is a compelling aspiration. In this article, we explore practical strategies and invaluable tips to help parents and carers successfully navigate the challenges of studying while caring for young children.

This article is correct as at 9 April 2024.

You don’t need us to tell you that having a child is a major life event – so much so that it can get you seriously thinking about your personal ambitions as well as your hopes for your young family’s future.

One thing you may feel inspired to do, to create the best possible life for your child, is to improve your skills and career prospects through study. (You’ll no doubt also be keen to set the best example to your offspring of achieving results through hard work!)

Yet if you’re a full-time parent or carer, studying for a new qualification can feel akin to a Herculean task. Fortunately, these two roles don’t have to be mutually exclusive. Here are our top tips for following a course of study as the mum, dad or carer of a young child so that you gain a professional qualification and enhance your career and life chances at the same time:

1) Study little and often

If you’re a mother or father, you’ll already know what a precious commodity time is. Caring for babies and children seems to eat up every available second, leaving little room for manoeuvre to tackle much else. And that’s especially the case, obviously, with very small kids.

So the key to success is to grab tiny parcels of time, however brief, and to use them productively. There’s even a technical term for this: microlearning.

With this strategy, you handle information in bite-sized chunks that may be as brief as three to five minutes long. You might think that this is too short a period to make a difference, but grabbing five minutes while your baby is having a nap or your toddler is in bed can be surprisingly effective. It mimics the way we interact with social media, in which everything is very fleeting, and can work particularly well if your concentration span is not the longest.

2) Foster a support network

They say it takes a village to raise a child. Build a network of people you can rely on and trust, such as grandparents, friends and others, to stand by and offer childcare as required – don’t be shy about asking for help when you need it. You’ll probably be pleasantly surprised at how happy people are to muck in. Talk to your partner about this, too. Equally, build relationships with tutors and fellow students, since these will be even more important if you’re working remotely.

3) Have a routine in place

Following a programme of study alone can feel daunting, whether you’re a parent or not. But if there are little ones involved as well, the number of elements to juggle can occasionally feel overwhelming. Having a clear routine will help.

Equally, have a child-free study area that’s devoid of distractions, plus a weekly plan of when you will be working and what you will cover. It may be an idea to create a schedule for the week ahead on a Sunday night, for instance. Break down large tasks into more manageable elements.

However, any plan needs to be flexible enough to cope with last-minute changes in arrangements, if, say, childcare falls through or your toddler becomes ill.

4) Prioritise your time

This may sound an obvious one, but think about the tasks you need to achieve and their order of importance or urgency. This will help you be more focused, productive, and efficient, not to mention stopping you from feeling overwhelmed. It may be that some of your favourite pursuits, perhaps a book group, gym class, or big nights out with friends, have to go on the back burner for a year or two.

Make no mistake – no one said studying while being the parent of a young child would be easy. But with some thoughtful planning, you should be able to undertake both jobs successfully and happily.