As Mother Teresa rightly said, “Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.” Yes, time is precious. So, let’s make time management a rewarding experience for our children to cherish and value every moment.
After-school assignments, like any constructive activity, can be one of the most common areas of war between parents and their children.
But wait! If you do a little homework yourself, you can approach the whole homework scene a little differently. If you begin with some appreciation of your child’s disappointment and concern and put in place a structure, you can avoid all the fights, the chaos, the begging and moments of anxiety. It will definitely help your child learn to work through the exasperation and to develop the self-discipline to complete the work on time.
1. Set a Good example
Children learn better from experiencing things than from hearing their parents telling them things. Show your child that the time management skills he or she is learning are an important part of the things that the child will do as an adult. Be positive and encouraging yourself by managing time effectively, and you might be amazed by how quickly the transformation takes place in children and how efficiently your children learn the most effective ways to manage time.
We prepare a family calendar, involving all members of the family. The entire family follows the schedule religiously. This has not only resulted in a plain-sailing communication but has also narrowed the scope of arguments since the work is completed on time. We let our daughter decide how much time should be given to each task including the fun activities and which tasks should be on the priority list. This gives her the motivation to get committed to the assigned task and complete it on time.
2. Pick a place for homework and remove distractions
If your child is distracted by television, computer games or social media, you should impose restrictions. Otherwise, these distractions will eat into his or her studies and other important activities and will throw time management out of the window.
Kids need a designated study area where they can do homework without being distracted. Your child’s homework area should have good lighting and it should be fairly quiet. Turn off all the electronic devices, discourage your child from making and receiving social telephone calls during homework time.
3. Set a regular time for homework, stick to the schedule, monitor the progress, and measure time
Children need to know that their family members hold so much importance to homework. This gives the children a good reason to complete assignments and to turn them in on time.
• Having a regular time to do homework helps children to finish assignments. The best schedule is the one that works for your child and your family. What works well in one household may not work in another.
• Your child’s outdoor and extracurricular activities, such as sports, dance, and music, may mean that you need a flexible homework schedule. You will need to work with your school child to develop a schedule and put it at a place where the child sees it often. If there isn’t enough time to finish homework, your child may need to drop some outside activity. Let him or her know that homework is a high priority task.
• Monitor the homework and other assignments and provide your assistance as and when required to ensure your child has the clarity of the work and that necessary supplies are provided. Avoid too much parent involvement as this can make children dependent. Let them become independent and responsible.