Does your child need constant reminders to do their schoolwork? Do they rely on you to keep them organized? Do they often burden you with having to take care of some last-minute requirement for a project they had forgotten about? If this is the situation at home, it is understandable that you would feel both concerned and frustrated.
As parents, we want to see our children be more independent when it comes to planning out their schoolwork. Not only because this would save us time and energy, but because we know that planning is a foundational skill for college, work, and adulthood in general.
So how do we go about teaching them how to plan out their schoolwork?
Use Visual Tools
Introduce visual aids such as planners, calendars, or to-do lists to help your child visualize their tasks and deadlines. If this seems too complicated at first, start with a piece of paper and a pen or sticky note. You can make it more engaging by using different color glitter pens, or highlighters. Encourage your child to experience the satisfaction of crossing out completed tasks.
Use Technology
The use of apps has made planning easier and more efficient. Apps like Notion and Todoist provide an alternative to physical planners for our tech-savvy kiddos. You can also encourage your child to try the calendar app on their phone and turn on push notifications for important reminders. They can sync their calendar with yours if necessary so that you can help them keep an eye on their deadlines and schedule. Additionally, you may show them how to use the school’s homework system to keep track of their tasks.
Prioritize
Help them identify which study modules, assignments, or projects need more immediate attention based on deadlines or difficulty level. You can introduce a color-coding system for different priorities:
- Red for high-priority tasks.
- Yellow for medium-priority tasks.
- Green for low-priority tasks.
For those who have a longer to-do list and need a more sophisticated system, you can use a simple matrix to categorize tasks by urgency and importance:
- Urgent and Important: Do these tasks first.
- Important but Not Urgent: Schedule time to do these tasks within the week.
- Urgent but Not Important: Do these tasks quickly (no more than 30 minutes).
- Not Urgent and Not Important: Consider if these tasks are necessary to be completed this week. If not, move to next week’s to-do list.
Check out Stephen Covey’s Time Management Matrix Technique (TMMT).
Break Down Bigger Tasks
Big projects should be broken down into smaller steps or phases. For example, if they have a 5-page essay due at the end of the semester, they can break it down into the following tasks:
- Brainstorming session
- Creating the outline
- Writing two main ideas and adding details
- Writing the introduction
- Adding supporting paragraphs
- Writing the conclusion
- Proofreading
- Breaking down tasks into manageable chunks like this will also help them gauge how much work is required per task and planning schoolwork more effective
5. Have a Schedule
Provide a structure through a consistent daily routine with designated times for work, breaks, and leisure activities. Having a predictable schedule can help reduce anxiety and improve focus. However, too much structure can result in repetitive tasks or routines, which can become monotonous over time, then leading to boredom. A lack of novelty can make it easier for the mind to wander and seek out distractions. As such, encourage your child to have a balance that works for them. Have clocks and timers accessible to them, and encourage them to enjoy their hobbies during breaktime so that they can feel refreshed and ready for the task at hand when it’s time to go back to work.
6. Offer Guidance and Support
Learning how to plan out schoolwork is not something that comes naturally - it’s a skill! So be patient and always let your child know that you are there to help them should they need it. If they continue to have difficulty, be there to give them gentle reminders and encouragement. If you see genuine effort, let them know that you are proud of them for trying their best. We sometimes forget, so here’s a reminder that support goes a long way with kids and will keep them encouraged!
If you’re looking for more ways to help your child become more independent with their schoolwork, you may benefit from having a coach for additional support. Reach out to us at HabitCoach - we are always happy to help!
