Listen Live
St Jude banner
CLOSE

Shifting into school mode can be difficult for any child, especially after a long summer of fun. Consider the following tips when helping your child make the inevitable transition:

Planning and time management

Children often struggle with planning and time management. They may find it difficult to think ahead to plan a project, or they may not schedule enough time to get everything done. They may forget to write down homework assignments.

To help your child plan her work and manage her time, try these strategies:

– Use schedules and routines. Make sure your child does her homework at the same time every night.

– Help your child to keep a notebook or planner to write down all assignments and due dates.

– Help your child break larger assignments into short pieces and set deadlines for each piece.

– Use a countdown timer on your child’s desk to quietly illustrate how much time is left for a given activity.

The same strategies should be used consistently at home and at school. You and your child’s teacher should discuss effective strategies and encourage your child to use them.

Conquering procrastination

Children may put off starting work, especially large or complex assignments. Your child may need to learn how to:

– Plan how much time to schedule for an assignment.

– Identify what materials he will need for the assignment.

– Break the assignment into manageable pieces.

– Have a system for keeping track of progress.

– Reward himself for successfully completing tasks.

Children can use the following steps to help them complete an assignment:

– Read the directions carefully and think about what is being asked.

– Identify key words or phrases that tell you what you need to do. Box or circle them.

– Figure out what materials you will need and get them all out.

– Tell yourself in your own words what you are supposed to do.

– Start the assignment.

The same strategies should be used consistently at home and at school. You and your child’s teacher should discuss effective strategies and encourage your child to use them.

Staying organized

Children often struggle with organization. They may have trouble finding the materials they need to do their work. They may lose homework or forget to hand it in.

To help your child organize her work, try these strategies:

– Help your child organize her desk or work area. Keep school supplies in the same place. Label important items.

– Help your child organize her binders and other materials.

– Try colour-coding to keep track of materials, notebooks, and binders for different subjects.

– Keep visual reminders of things your child needs to do, including checklists, to-do lists, a notebook for homework assignments, and a calendar.

– Make a brightly coloured folder for homework that can live in your child’s knapsack.

Your child’s teacher can also help by establishing a routine for handing in work at a consistent place and time.

Helping with homework

Children often have trouble with their homework. It is important to address these problems early, as they can affect a child’s school performance. In younger children, homework problems may result from weaknesses in language, memory, or organizational skills. As children get older, they need to do more complex assignments and more independent work, and homework problems may get worse.

To help your child with homework, try these strategies:

– Use schedules and routines. Make sure your child does his homework at the same time every night.

– Keep visual reminders of things your child needs to do, including checklists, to-do lists, a notebook for homework assignments, and a calendar.

– Help your child to keep a notebook or planner to write down all assignments and due dates.

– Help your child break larger assignments into short pieces and set deadlines for each piece.

– Help him graph how much homework he completes each day, or find another method he can use to keep track of his progress.

– Set up a reward system to provide positive reinforcement for completing homework.

– Help your child organize his desk or work area. Keep school supplies in the same place. Label important items.

– If your child often forgets to take completed homework back to school, it may help to make a brightly coloured folder for homework that can stay in your child’s knapsack.

At school, your child’s teacher can try similar strategies:

– Have a consistent time and place to hand in work.

– Teach children how to use homework planners.

– Give appropriate, clear instructions.

– Give positive reinforcement for handing in work.

Collaboration between home and school is important. You and your child’s teacher should discuss effective strategies and encourage your child to use them. As your child gets better at using the strategies and completing his homework, you can provide less direct support.

© The Hospital for Sick Children