10 September 2020

Teaching children to efficiently manage their time sets them up well for the school year and beyond

2:00 Min

From a young age, children can hand in school assignments on time, while still making time to have fun with friends and family. Here are five great tips on how to do so!

1 Create a workstation

Try creating a dedicated space for your children to only use for schoolwork, such as a corner of the dining table, or a sectioned-off part of the playroom. Make the study area fun by personalising it with comfortable chairs, playful decor, and energising lighting. The idea is to create a space they look forward to being in, motivating them to do their homework. Have a look at some of these ideas for inspiration.

2 Organise their work

Kids’ desks often pile up with scrap paper, doodles, markers, and anything else they collect throughout the day. Instilling organisation habits at an early stage is crucial, as research indicates correlation between a messy desk and lower productivity. Involve your kids in the tidying process, encourage the habit of putting things back when they’re done using them. An organised workstation will help your kids to efficiently accomplish their tasks and make better use of their time.

3 Create a weekly schedule

It’s important to balance study and play. Get a large calendar and plot out the week with your child. Jot down deadlines, as well as dedicated periods for extracurricular activities and family fun. The visual representation of what your child’s schedule looks like will serve as a reminder of when the deadlines are due, in an engaging way. Make your own DIY calendars with these fun printable versions.

4 Turn a daily routine into a checklist

During the week, children generally follow the same daily schedule: waking up, taking a shower, brushing their teeth, getting dressed, and so on. Instead of constantly checking up on them, create a personal checklist for them that includes the aforementioned routine, as well as assignments, homework, study time, chores, and anything else they may do. Not only will this help them to stay on top of their tasks, but they may also adopt these time management habits to ensure they use their free time well. Look at these chore charts for your own customisable checklist.

5 Avoid interruptions and reward good behaviours

For every interruption, we need approximately 25 minutes to get back on track and resume our activity, according to a study. To avoid unnecessary interruptions, try to remove distractions and teach your kids the value of setting aside uninterrupted blocks of time to finish the assignment. Once the task is complete, treat your kids accordingly to reinforce the importance of effective management.

Going back to school can be a difficult time for many children, so remember not to be frustrated if they do not instantly adopt all these techniques. The most important thing is to try and encourage good habits early in your child’s life, so they can take advantage of them in the future.