RESPONSIBILITY FOR LEARNING

Time Management

Get up early

  • Make sure you wake up at least 15-20 minutes before your children so that you can focus on what you need to get done to prepare for your day.
  • Many parents find it’s easiest to complete the majority of their personal morning routine (e.g., shower, get dressed, etc.) before waking their children.
  • After waking the kids, parents work on making breakfast or lunches so they can
    easily check up on the kids' progress in their morning routine.

Make a chart

  • Parents often complain that their children always” forget" to do something when they're getting ready in the morning. Truth is many of us are forgetful in the morning.
  • Help your kids to remember by creating a morning routine chart. Include things like washing their face, brushing their teeth, getting dressed, making the bed, etc.  List all the morning activities you can reasonably expect your child to complete on the left side of a piece of paper.  List the days of the week across the top of the paper.  Give your child a sticker or a star for every morning activity they successfully complete on time.  Reward them with praise each time you give them a sticker.  Some examples of rewards include: choosing a snack or dessert for lunch, earning 5-10 minutes of free time before school and choosing a fun weekend activity.

Don't demand perfection especially if your child has not performed many of these activities on their own before.  Reward them for improvements even if it just means completing one activity per day.  Focus on progress rather than perfection.

After School
The transition from school to home is often a difficult one for children. Many kids are exhausted from their regimented day at school and are excited about coming home to play.  They're also excited to see their parents and friends.  It's important to spend some time with your children when they first see you. Once again, setting aside a little time now will save you more time in the long run. If your children refuse to do their homework, keep them in front of the books and away from other activities until it is time for them to start getting ready for bed.  Stubborn children may sit there for a night or two, but they will quickly get the message that the sooner they complete their homework, the sooner they get to do what they want.

Bedtime
The key to a making bedtime a calm and enjoyable transition for your children is to prepare them early.  Everyone needs time to calm down before going to bed, especially if they want to sleep well. Children are no different. They just don't get to choose when they go to bed.

Note: Don't let your children choose when they go to bed.

Put them on a schedule. Children need a lot of sleep. Their bodies need to adjust to a fixed schedule of going to sleep every night at the same time. Here's a good rule of thumb: Make sure your children have at least a half hour of quiet time before bed when they can sit and read, listen to music, play quietly, etc. This quiet time will leave them calmer and better prepared for sleep when you tell them it's time for bed. Bathing, grooming, changing into bedclothes, and getting ready for the next day should be done before this quiet time. Just like the morning routine, create charts for your children's bedtime routine. Reward them with stickers or stars for every activity they complete on time. Don't expect perfection, especially early on. Just look for progress and praise your children for their efforts.

Give your children a bigger reward if they complete their bedtime routine on time (e.g., watching a special T.V. show or video, a light snack, story time with you, etc.). Make sure these rewards are calm activities. Horseplay this late at night defeats the purpose.

Remind your children that they will give up this reward if they do not complete their bedtime routine on time.