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Getting Organized:
Tips for helping your child to get organized at home
What can you do at home to help your child get organized? Here are some suggestions…
1. Time management. For example, every Sunday evening, you or another caregiver could meet with the child at a scheduled time to plan and discuss work/activities for the coming week. Together you can record upcoming work/activities on a desk calendar.
What gets recorded on the calendar?
• Homework/project assignments
• Upcoming tests/quizzes
• After school activities including plans with
friends
• Time to do homework
• Time to study for upcoming tests/quizzes
• Homework breaks (5-10 minutes to stretch, listen to music, or read for pleasure. Avoid having your child play video games or watch TV during breaks because they are too mentally stimulating/distracting. Save those activities for rewards after all homework is completed.)
2. Homework Time. You and your child should decide on a time each night when homework will be done. Where possible, schedule the same time each weekday. Consistency is important. If you or another caregiver is unable to supervise the completion of homework, the homework should be checked against the student’s homework planner each night to make sure that assignments have been completed. Have your child reread his/her work and edit it.
3. Work Space. Children who have organizational issues need a well-organized work/study space at home. Try to find a location that is free of distractions. A child’s bedroom is often too distracting to be an effective work area. If the child moves between two homes, s/he should have a workspace in each home.
• Desk or Table. If possible, the child should have a space for a desk or table. If a desk with draws is not available, a box for supplies should be on the table. Supplies needed for schoolwork include: pens, pencils, pencil sharpener, a ruler, stapler, etc. Label the box, supplies. At the end of the work period, all supplies should be returned to the box.
• Folders. Your child should have a different color folder for each subject: math, humanities, science, Spanish, art, and one for homeroom. The homeroom folder should be used for all school notices and handouts. The left pocket of the folder should be labeled, Work Completed and the right pocket should be labeled, To Do. Once the child is finished with a unit in the subject, all of the “Work Completed” can be filed in a folder of the same color and kept at home for the student’s personal file. If a desk drawer or file cabinet is not available, a box can be used as well.
4. Binders or Notebooks? Some of your child’s teachers require binder notebooks with separate sections. Others require composition notebooks. Find out from your child or child’s teachers what is required. Each evening, look through the notebooks for new notes and handouts. If your child hasn’t already done so, date each day’s notes and handouts. Please note, that if you find one system that works better for your child, use that system.
5. Book Bag Organization. Each evening, it is a good idea to empty out the child’s book bag. All stray papers should be placed in appropriate folders. All notebooks/binders/folder should be checked to make sure that handouts and notes are in the correct location. Your child should take the lead in this organizational process, but you should be on hand to supervise.
6. Supply Organization. Some children with organizational issues have difficulty holding onto pencils, pens, erasers etc. You may want to consider purchasing a 3-holed pencil case, which fits nicely into the child’s binder notebook (approximate cost: $2.00). Consider purchasing a mini-stapler (approximate cost: $3.50) and an inexpensive 3-hole puncher (approximate cost: $5.50) that also fits nicely into the child’s binder. Handouts can be hole-punched and placed in the appropriate section of the binder.
7. The Planner. Children can help themselves to stay on top of nightly homework, project tasks, upcoming tests/quizzes, class trips, school activities, etc. by using a planner. We recommend using a planner that provides sufficient space to write assignments. (See the Planner Organization Handout for tips on how to use the planner effectively.) Sometimes a thin spiral notebook works best.
• At home. Check your child’s planner each night. As each assignment is completed, your child can place a check mark next to it or cross it off. You can also sign or initial next to each night’s completed assignments. Also, help your child get into the habit of flipping through the dates for the next week, so that you both know what projects/tests/assignments are coming up.
• Checklists. Use checklists at home for different purposes like chores and other activities. There is a lot of satisfaction to be gained from crossing completed assignments off the list. (See Homework Checklist and School Preparation Checklist for examples.)
• Multi-step Projects. Many of your child’s assignments will be multi-step projects that s/he will be expected to complete over several days or weeks. If the teacher provides the students with a list of due dates, record them in the planner and/or on a larger desk calendar. If only a final due date is provided, sit down with your child and break down the work into manageable chunks with due dates for each task. Prioritize the tasks. What must be done first, next, last? Talk about how long each task should take to complete. If the child has multiple due dates to complete the project, s/he will not be struggling to complete the project the day before it is due.
8. Rewards System. To encourage your child to work at his/her organizational skills and to complete assignments, you may consider establishing a system of rewards to positively reinforce desired behavior. Think about what your child likes to do in his/her free time. For example, if s/he likes to play video games, a possible reward might be that after all homework is completed and checked, s/he could play video games for 30 minutes. After a month of positive behavior, perhaps you could buy your child a new video game. You establish the rewards based on the child’s interests. Perhaps after a week of successful work, s/he could choose Friday night’s dinner menu or select the family video. (See Rewards Chart handout for a sample score chart.)
9. Your Support and Patience. Getting organized is a process that will take time. It may be months or years before your child is able to independently organize his/her workspace, folders, and planner. Your child will need your help staying organized, but it will be time well spent. As your child is able to complete assignments, and locate homework and notes like his/her classmates, your child will experience a sense of accomplishment and success.
You may need to keep your child’s workspace organized until s/he is able to take on more responsibility for the task. However, only reorganize your child’s workspace, folders, or notebooks while the child is present. Staying organized is a team effort.
Although it may be difficult, stay calm and be patient with the child if s/he has difficulty keeping the workspace neat. It’s perfectly natural to experience some frustration now and again when working on organizational skills with your child. You may encounter resistance to your efforts to help since you child is at a developmental stage where independence is increasingly important. But, your child needs your help and it is essential that s/he is not made to feel guilty or incompetent. Try to keep in mind that the purpose of supporting the child’s organizational skills is to increase self-esteem and move the child toward greater independence. You may want to discuss the purpose behind your intervention, so your child doesn’t view it as an intrusion or invasion of privacy.
10. PRAISE! Recognize your child’s accomplishments! Remember, that what comes easily and effortlessly for some is a challenge for others. For some children writing down all of their homework assignments in their planners demonstrates effort and is worthy of praise. When a child’s efforts are acknowledged, s/he will be motivated to continue performing this behavior. Tell your child that you are proud, but be specific about the behavior that evokes your pride. S/he cannot repeat this good behavior unless s/he knows what that good behavior is. Also, remember that creating new habits takes time. Try to be understanding if your child’s behavior is inconsistent for awhile.
Adapted from Educational Care: A System for Understanding and Helping Children with Learning Differences at Home and in School by Dr. Mel Levine (pp. 162-166)
Recommended Reading:
A Mind At A Time: America’s Top Learning Expert Shows How Every Child Can Succeed by Dr. Mel Levine. In this book, Dr. Mel Levine “shows parents and those who care for children how to identify individual learning patterns, explaining how they can strengthen a child’s abilities and either bypass or help overcome the child’s weaknesses, producing positive results instead of repeated frustration and failure.”
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