Many students don’t know how to study. Here’s how parents can help.

Among the creative and maddening reasons kids come up with for not studying, one familiar one might be worth addressing: They don’t know how.

Researchers and experienced educators have found that often students don’t have good study habits and skills, or that they rely on strategies that don’t work, frequently at the urging of teachers and parents.

“It is somewhat shocking how many students just don’t know how to do it, which frustrates them and can turn them off to enjoying learning,” says Henry Roediger III, a professor of psychology and brain science at Washington University in St. Louis and co-author of the book “Make It Stick.” “It’s something that needs to be taught in third or fourth grade and reinforced throughout their school years.”

Busy teachers, however, may not be likely to add those lessons, so it often falls to parents. Nate Kornell, another researcher on the topic and a psychology professor at Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., says helping your child study can be a good opportunity to learn about their coursework, progress and abilities — and a way to get to know them better.

“It’s like magic when a kid understands how to study and values learning on a deeper level. And parents can really be involved in that,” he says.

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