Dear Parents,
“So much to do. So little time.” Does that refrain strike a familiar chord with you? Most people would agree that time is at a premium with struggles to balance work and leisure, family and self commitments. Second grade is a time of greater expectations and academic needs. If you can help your child establish good time-management habits at an early age, he or she will have a better chance of a well-balanced life in the future. You might consider some or all of the ideas that follow.
Time-Tracking Tips
◆ Teach your child to set priorities by first asking what he or she would like to do. Write down what your child tells you. Then ask your child to number each item in terms of importance, and to star those items that can wait until another day. Together, record all the activities your child does in a single day or week and the time spent at each activity. Review the list with your child to see if there are changes he or she would like to make. For example, play less video games to have more time for bedtime stories.
◆ Help your child establish and stick to simple routines, such as setting times for taking a bath or preparing for bed.
◆ Having a daily schedule is one way for children to see how they use their time. Together, create a daily schedule and post it on the refrigerator. (You can provide your child with a monthly calendar to fill in.) Have your child write or draw pictures of activities in the appropriate date boxes.
◆ From time to time, refer your child to the calendar or schedule. For example, you might ask your child to tell when the next gymnastics class is or to decide what can be taken out today to have ready for tomorrow’s class.
◆ Together, review your child’s schedule to be sure he or she isn’t feeling “overscheduled” by too many outside activities.
◆ Be sure to have frequent “time outs” or breaks in a schedule to allow for special times together.
◆ Children love rituals and traditions. Schedule weekly family nights and institute traditions everyone enjoys, such as making popcorn and playing board games.
◆ Help your child find time to try new things. Begin by asking your child to think of what he or she would like more time to do or to learn. Have your child schedule the time he or she is willing to spend on the activity. You might suggest, for example, that your child work on the new activity for 15 minutes at a time. Tell him or her when 15 minutes is up and allow for another 15 minutes if your child is still busily engaged. At the end of the week, congratulate your child for the time he or she actually spent on the new project.
Adapted from:
https://www.teachervision.com/tv/printables/scottforesman/Math_K_HCC_13-14.pdf