August 23, 2007
Tips to Help Students Get Organized
It takes a lot to succeed in school and life these days. Teaching your children good organizational skills will help them to become self-sufficient and better able to meet the challenges that lie ahead of them. Teaching these skills at an early age will help them become a natural part of your children's thinking.
TIP #1 - MAKE A LIST: Include all tasks that need to be completed before
bedtime so your children will be ready for school the next day. Include activities such as empty
backpack, do homework, choose clothes for the next morning, re-pack backpack. Add or delete
activities as necessary. Post the list prominently and let your children know you expect them to
complete ALL
the items on their list.
TIP #2 - GET READY THE NIGHT BEFORE: Have your children pick out their clothes, socks, underwear, shoes - even hair accessories! - the night before to avoid slowing things down or being late the next day. Make it a rule that they're not allowed to change their mind in the morning because they don't feel like wearing what they picked out the night before.
TIP #3 - AVOID THE MORNING RUSH: Rushing in the morning is one of the worst ways for anyone to start their day. Establish a non-negotiable routine with your children and make clear the consequences for failure to comply, i.e. if you don't get up when first called, your bedtime is 15 minutes earlier tonight. Try placing an alarm clock on the far side of their room so they have to get up to shut it off. Once up, they're more likely to stay up.
TIP #4 - CREATE A LAUNCHING PAD: There should be ONE designated location in the home where items needed for the next day are left at night for pickup on the way out the door. Make sure your children know they must have everything ready and in this location before they go to bed. This will help prevent them from running around looking for things at the last minute in the morning and making everyone else late.
TIP #5 - EMPTY BACKPACKS: Make sure your children empty their backpacks every night. They should throw away trash, remove and put away any papers or items they no longer need and deposit important school notices like permission slips and notes in a designated location so you can deal with them in a timely manner. An organized backpack makes life easier so buy backpacks with several compartments or buy separate organizers to hold subway/bus passes, money, keys, school supplies, etc. Encourage your children to consistently keep their things in the same location in their backpack. Having an assigned home for items makes both finding them and putting them away a snap.
TIP #6 - SCHOOL LOCKERS: Installing hooks and shelves, if necessary, and using magnets to post schedules and other information will make it easier to organize and keep track of items. Your children should assign a home in their locker for every item that goes in there and keep items together that get used together. Having an assigned home for items makes locating them when they're needed and putting them away when they're not easy and fast, especially if and when your children are in a hurry. Dividing up textbooks and notebooks by subject or by morning and afternoon classes is a good way to organize them for quick and easy access.
TIP #7 - ROUTINE MAINTENANCE: Getting and staying organized are ongoing processes NOT one-time events. Be sure your children realize this and take responsibility for the necessary upkeep of their backpack, locker, study area, etc.
TIP #8 - TRACK ASSIGNMENTS: Teach your children to write down assignments, tasks and due dates for each of their classes. This will help them decide at the end of the school day what they need to bring home to complete their homework or study for a test. The less they carry, the easier it will be to find things and stay organized. Carrying the lightest load possible also means less back strain. Have your children keep all their completed homework in one folder or in the front of their binder in a clear pocket so it can be located easily when needed.
TIP #9 - THE RIGHT STUDY ENVIRONMENT: Your children's study area should be quiet, comfortable and well lit. It should be equipped with everything they may need so they don't have to waste time looking for items. Remove clutter. Avoid distractions. Studying in front of the TV or in a busy area of the home is not conducive to learning. Consider carefully whether or not to put a computer in a child's room. Computers can tempt children to email friends, surf the Internet or play computer games when they should be studying. Encourage your children to get into a good study routine by setting aside a specific time each day to do their homework.
TIP #10 - PLANNERS: If your children are old enough, teach them how to use
a planner/calendar to help them stay organized. By using ONE planner/calendar to write down all
of their school and personal activities, they will avoid scheduling conflicts and hone their
time management skills. Suggest to them color-coding their similar activities for quick, easy
reference. For instance, they can highlight all their study time in pink, all their upcoming
tests in yellow, all their recreational time in blue, etc.
TIP #11 - TIME MANAGEMENT: Go over your children's assignments with them. If they don't know how to organize their time, their workload may feel overwhelming. This is especially true of elementary age children. Teach them how to prioritize. Also, teach them how to break an assignment down into small parts and do each part step by step so it will be more manageable and less daunting a task. Successfully completing a few steps at a time will build your children's confidence and inspire them to complete the rest of the steps. If your children have to read four chapters of a book in a week, explain to them that studying one chapter a day will help them reach their goal in a sensible, painless way. If your children are old enough to use a planner, they should determine how many study hours they need and schedule that time in their planner.
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MILLER ORGANIZING. All rights reserved.
14 Stuyvesant Oval
NYC, NY 10009