Some people are blessed with the ability to manage their time. They wake up early, work out, tackle their to-do lists, spend quality time with their kids, prepare a nutritious dinner, and keep their house neat and clean.
And then there are the rest of us.
I personally don’t understand why educators don’t teach time management in school. For one thing, It is one of the most important and empowering life skills we can give our children. Once you feel in control of your time, you feel in control of your world. In addition, many of us were not born with the innate ability to manage our time. For many people, me included, it is a learned skill.
Here are a few simple tips I recommend for teaching kids to manage their time:
- Teach them to make a to-do list. To-do lists help all of us, kids included, feel in control of our many responsibilities. Checking things off gives us a sense of accomplishment. Making a to-do list leads directly into the next tip….
- Teach them to prioritize. As moms, we know that we can’t do everything. The same applies to our kids. They need to be able to evaluate their priorities and decide which items on their to do lists should be handled first.
- Teach them about “chunking” their tasks. I always tell my kids, putting all your focus and energy into one, productive 2-hour session, may be way more productive than 8 hours of doing homework while texting, facebooking, and IM’ing. (The time block should be adjusted based on the child’s age, of course. A 14-year-old can handle a 2-hour block of work. A 7-year-old, not so much.)
- Teach them to keep books or homework in their bags so that they can use any “idle” time, for example time spent in the car or waiting for you to run errands, in a productive manner.
- Teach them to reward themselves for completing important items. Taking a break, having a snack, or having a chat with a friend all serve to recharge the batteries and remind us that it’s not all about hard work all the time.
What about you? What are you teaching your kids about time management?
I struggle with teaching my kids time management because I really never learned it either! My kids also have ADD which makes it ten times harder to keep them focused on anything! I did create a chart that my son can use to see what all needs to be done and check it off as he goes. It works great…when he uses it!!!
My kids’ school gives them planners starting in 4th grade. They’re supposed to write down their assignments each day. And bring them home for their parents to sign. I think it’s a great idea ~ my son thinks it’s a hassle but I keep trying to talk it up and let him know how keeping a planner can be helpful. And now I have some more ideas to use, thanks to your time management for kids tips! Thank you.
I am 27 and just now learning to be a better time manager. I son is almost 4, but he loves checking things off. I should definitely start to be more organized with him too!