Teaching Your Child Time Management
Remote learning brings with it a myriad of challenges, including ensuring that children stay on task and complete their work. Unlike in the traditional school setting, they do not have their teacher there looking over their shoulder and structuring their schedule to fit everything in. Students still have face-to-face time with their teacher over video conferencing platforms, but they are doing much of their work independently. In addition, many parents are working from home too, which means they do not have the time to be constantly monitoring their child’s work.
Teaching your child basic time management skills can be beneficial and support them in being more successful working in an online learning environment. These are also strategies that they can continue applying throughout their lives, whether in high school, college, or the workplace.
Create a Schedule
One of the first things you’ll want to do is sit down together and create a schedule. Block out times where they are required to be online for classes or meetings. Next, add any other obligations they have, such as extracurriculars or tutoring. Then you can spread out different subjects across the remaining time, allowing longer blocks for classes that are more challenging or demanding.
Don’t forget to build in break times too! Your child will need some time to relax, move around, eat, and refocus. You can vary the length between 5–10 minutes breaks to stretch versus 30–45 minute breaks for lunch and walk or another activity.
Stay Organized
Your child will be able to complete their work more quickly if they have everything they need at their workspace. Make sure they’re not wasting time looking for a pencil or calculator or trying to find the link to log on to a website. Bookmark commonly used sites, write down login names and passwords, and keep supplies stocked and ready. Also, set your child up in a quiet space where they can focus and will not have a lot of distractions.
Prioritize
In addition to making a schedule, help your child prioritize tasks. What definitely needs to be done and turned in today? What can wait until later? What long-term projects need to be broken down into smaller tasks? You can also plan things out according to your child’s strengths. If you know that math is the hardest for them, perhaps arrange for them to do that work in the morning when they are most alert and focused. If they love reading or science, that can be something they do in the afternoon when they’re starting to wear out to keep them energized and excited.
Set Expectations
Work with your child to get in the habit of writing down deadlines and due dates. Make a visual calendar so they can see what needs to be done when and can move things around as necessary. Set expectations such as having to get certain assignments completed each day and reading for a specified amount of time before they’re allowed to watch TV, ride their bike, or chat with friends. Make sure they know the consequences of not having their work done too.
Just because classes are being held online does not mean students will not be accountable for doing their work, studying, and completing projects. Teachers are working hard to make sure students are staying on track with grade-level curriculum and state standards. If your child is struggling to stay organized, manage their time, and keep up with content and assignments, Crafting Scholars is here to help. We are offering a variety of programs this fall to support students in being more successful with remote learning while mastering necessary skills and concepts. Contact us today to learn more about available courses and what may be a good fit for your child’s needs.