Does your child struggle with time management during this time of remote learning? Time management is an essential executive functioning skill that allows your child to complete their daily tasks with a realistic sense of how long each task will take. Here are some ways that you can help improve your child’s time management.
1. Start with a Plan
○ One great way to get the ball rolling when it comes to time management is making a solid plan for your child. Making a list of your child’s daily assignments can be very useful as it helps your child visualize and further understand what they are expected to complete.
○ You can make lists on Google Docs, Microsoft Word, or even a good ol’ fashioned post-it note will do the trick. Have your child involved in this process so they can develop the skills of planning (This list can also double as a to-do list, so as your child completes each task, they can have the opportunity to check off what they did!)
2. Prioritize
○ Once you have a list of assignments ready for the day, ask your child what they think is the most important task to get done for the day. Help them prioritize each task into an order from greatest importance to least importance.
○ Make sure to include time for designated breaks throughout the day so your child can reset.
3. Estimate the Timing
○ Next, you are going to want to help your child estimate how long it will take for each task to be completed. This can be difficult for kids, so help them come up with realistic times for their assignments.
○ This step will improve with trial and error. You and your child will have an improved sense of how long assignments will take after implementing this plan consistently over time.
4. Stick to the Plan!
○ Now that you have a time management plan ready, it’s time to actually apply it! Before your child starts their first assignment, show them the estimated time it will take for them to complete it.
○ Use a timer to help monitor their progress. To make this more fun, you can pull up a themed timer on the screen that will help motivate your child with their work! Here is a great resource for fun timers to use: https://www.online- stopwatch.com/classroom-timers/
○ Continue to motivate your child throughout their tasks.
5. Foster independence
○ With the current situation of remote learning, we understand that parents won’t always be able to help their child with their work. In order to help foster independence with their own assignments, here are 3 options you can give your child when they are stuck on a certain assignment:
1. Reread the problem or question
2. Skip and come back to it later
3. Ask for clarification
For more ideas and resources, check out our other blog posts here. For more information about how our team can support you with home learning, visit our website.