1. To Do List: making a “To Do” list is the simplest way to organize and schedule all activities both in school and home. It is so easy that even children can make the list once they see an example. This list should be filled with school assignments, reminders, and materials for school. If there are extracurricular activities, children can write them down too. A To Do list is like a planner; crossing each completed item gives children sense of accomplishment.
2. Prepare For the Day Ahead: the best way to be ready for tomorrow is to finish today’s tasks. Before your child goes to bed, encourage them to pack every schoolwork and book in a bag. Clothes, shoes, socks, and other necessary accessories should be prepared as well. When you child wakes up in the morning, he/she does not need to get confused about school preparation because everything for today is ready to use.
3. Have a Designated Study Space: a designated study space does not always mean the child’s bedroom. It can be any room in the house where there is minimum distractions. In the same room, there should be some supplies including pencils, books, maps, ruler, etc.
4. Make a Fixed Study Time: have a discussion with your child to determine an agreed study time every day. Study time covers doing homework, assignments, reading, practicing, etc. If there is no homework, the time should be spent for other learning activities. The best time for studying varies depending on individual’s needs, but after-school is usually not the most ideal time because a child needs to get some rest too.
5. Organize Assignments: to make every homework or assignment more organized, tell your children to number them in order of completion requirement. The first assignment to complete is typically the most urgent one, but it is possible to arrange those assignments according to difficulty level as well.
6. Master Calendar: having a large wall-sized calendar allows your children to easily notice if there is any immediate events at school or home. A large calendar usually has room for writing notes to describe all marked dates.
7. Binders and Folders: binders or folders are great to organize paper based on subject. They allow for easier studying because children can review all their works and notes quickly. When approaching a test, such organizational system also provides quick access to all materials.
8. Weekly Cleanup: school assignments and papers from a week ago o even older should be kept in their own folders. It prevents clutters and confusion when finding references for future homework.
9. Check for Forgotten Items: sometimes, a child can forget some important thing, so parents need to do their roles to check for everything including completed assignments, homework, etc.
10. Keep on Reminding: parents provide guidance. However, they have to allow children to develop organizational system of their own. Parents help children, but they cannot let the boys and girls to become entirely dependant on parents helps.