Developing good organizational skills is a key ingredient for success in school and in life. Although some people are by nature more organized than others, anyone can put routines and systems in place to help a child "get it together."
1. Keep a calendar.
Teach him/her to write down assignments, tests, play dates, lessons, and other plans regularly. Encourage your child to use the calendar to stay on top of his or her timelines too.
Teach him/her to write down assignments, tests, play dates, lessons, and other plans regularly. Encourage your child to use the calendar to stay on top of his or her timelines too.
2. Introduce checklists.
Help your child get into the habit of using checklists and to-do lists. This helps ensure they complete everything on that list and don’t miss anything out. They also get a sense of accomplishment when they finish tasks on time which helps them enhance their self-confidence.
Help your child get into the habit of using checklists and to-do lists. This helps ensure they complete everything on that list and don’t miss anything out. They also get a sense of accomplishment when they finish tasks on time which helps them enhance their self-confidence.
3.Assign chores that involve sorting or categorizing.
Grocery shopping, emptying the dishwasher, sorting photos, cleaning out a closet, and other that involve pre-planning, making lists, or arranging things are great choices.
Grocery shopping, emptying the dishwasher, sorting photos, cleaning out a closet, and other that involve pre-planning, making lists, or arranging things are great choices.
4.Use containers and closet organizers.
If there's a place for everything, she'll find it easier to find items, keep neat, and clean up. Build "pick up" time into the daily routine.
If there's a place for everything, she'll find it easier to find items, keep neat, and clean up. Build "pick up" time into the daily routine.
5.Organize schoolwork.
Make sure your child's keeping notes, homework, handouts, and graded assignments in separate folders in a binder. Try to check her nightly and set a time aside each week to go through her binder and get things sorted.
Make sure your child's keeping notes, homework, handouts, and graded assignments in separate folders in a binder. Try to check her nightly and set a time aside each week to go through her binder and get things sorted.
6.Set up a Designated Study Space & study time
Sit with your child and decide on a certain time when he or she should be studying or doing homework every day. This should ideally be after the child has had time to relax after coming from school. If there is no homework, upcoming exam or project to work on, make your child do something productive like read for pleasure or solve a crossword puzzle at that time.. Make sure there's an area of your house just for homework, with all the supplies she needs in bins and boxes. Provide plenty of space for books and set up baskets for papers so your child can find old homework to review for tests, and keep frequently used resources handy.
Sit with your child and decide on a certain time when he or she should be studying or doing homework every day. This should ideally be after the child has had time to relax after coming from school. If there is no homework, upcoming exam or project to work on, make your child do something productive like read for pleasure or solve a crossword puzzle at that time.. Make sure there's an area of your house just for homework, with all the supplies she needs in bins and boxes. Provide plenty of space for books and set up baskets for papers so your child can find old homework to review for tests, and keep frequently used resources handy.
7.Cook together.
Cooking is an art that teaches measuring, following directions, sorting ingredients, and managing time — all key elements in organization. Involve your child too, challenging him/her to help you put together a shopping list.
Cooking is an art that teaches measuring, following directions, sorting ingredients, and managing time — all key elements in organization. Involve your child too, challenging him/her to help you put together a shopping list.
8. Reward and provide support with organizational tasks.
Your child may find a challenge, so help her develop her routine and give him/her a treat for jobs well done!
Your child may find a challenge, so help her develop her routine and give him/her a treat for jobs well done!
9.Set a Good Example.
If you keep things neat and organized in your own life, your child is more likely to follow it. Seeing you turn off the TV at a regular time ,to pay bills or even just to read will show him the importance of setting aside time to do things and sticking to it..
Example – Let’s say your child has to study for a test.
If you keep things neat and organized in your own life, your child is more likely to follow it. Seeing you turn off the TV at a regular time ,to pay bills or even just to read will show him the importance of setting aside time to do things and sticking to it..
Example – Let’s say your child has to study for a test.
10. Teach them how to use their “Free Time”
There are times when children have a lot of free time on their hands, like when they are on vacation. How to manage free time is crucial to developing effective time management techniques that will help them later in life, particularly in college when they have to attend barely 10 – 15 hours a week. Time management consists of doing 3 things – planning, prioritizing and estimating the time required.
There are times when children have a lot of free time on their hands, like when they are on vacation. How to manage free time is crucial to developing effective time management techniques that will help them later in life, particularly in college when they have to attend barely 10 – 15 hours a week. Time management consists of doing 3 things – planning, prioritizing and estimating the time required.
11. When your child is assigned a major project or assignment that is due months later, it helps to assign a strict timeline. To do this, first mark the due date on the calendar. Then set specific dates between now and the due date by which certain tasks have to be completed such as – research and gather all information, collect all materials, create the rough draft (and show to the teacher if required), start work, half way point, finishing touches, check and submit. This helps in breaking a huge, daunting task into small, manageable chunks that is more easily achievable. It shows the child that every task has a beginning, a middle and an end.
12. Conduct weekly cleanups & sorting
Encourage your child to clean and sort through notebooks and bags on a weekly basis. Papers and assignments found in the bags must go in the right folders at home. Cleaning and organizing the bedroom every fortnight or month also ensures that everything is always kept in its place. Cleaning the cupboard, grocery shopping, sorting photos, filing papers, etc. are great choices that involve pre-planning, making lists, strategizing and arranging things optimally. Performing small tasks such as these in the house develops a habit for organization in children.
Encourage your child to clean and sort through notebooks and bags on a weekly basis. Papers and assignments found in the bags must go in the right folders at home. Cleaning and organizing the bedroom every fortnight or month also ensures that everything is always kept in its place. Cleaning the cupboard, grocery shopping, sorting photos, filing papers, etc. are great choices that involve pre-planning, making lists, strategizing and arranging things optimally. Performing small tasks such as these in the house develops a habit for organization in children.
13. Get into a bedtime routine
Before bed, review plans and prepare for the next day. This means packing the bag, laying down the clothes, socks, shoes, and accessories, keeping whatever needs to be carried handy, etc. It also helps to discuss the next day’s schedule and what steps the child should take if the schedule is disrupted due to some reason. Being prepared for the oncoming day helps children feel more secure and ensure that they don’t forget anything.
Before bed, review plans and prepare for the next day. This means packing the bag, laying down the clothes, socks, shoes, and accessories, keeping whatever needs to be carried handy, etc. It also helps to discuss the next day’s schedule and what steps the child should take if the schedule is disrupted due to some reason. Being prepared for the oncoming day helps children feel more secure and ensure that they don’t forget anything.
I learned from the very best. Thankyou for teaching me all these important skills.
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