How to Prepare Your Child For a Successful School Year
The Back-to-School ads have begun and the fall clothes have hit the stores - now all you have to do is buy those school supplies and purchase a new pair of running shoes and you're ready, right? Wrong.
Although the right school supplies and clothes are necessary, they are not going to help prepare your child for a successful year at school.
Do you remember opening that first page in your crisp notebook and using your best printing to write the first word? Now, how many of you remember the day the excitement wore off and the printing wasn't all that neat anymore? In order to ensure that your children has a successful year, one very important skill is needed; how to create an organized homework routine.
Here's how it works.
Ask yourself these questions: 1) At what time does your child/children get home from school? 2) At what time could you consistently eat dinner on the weekdays? 3) What time will one parent be available to be home while the child is doing the homework? 4) What after dinner jobs must be completed by your child/children? Ex.
Clear dishes, load the dishwasher, wash/dry dishes, sweep the floor? 5) Where is a good location for your child/children to do their homework? They should have a comfortable chair, a clear space to work on, the room should be quiet without distractions and all necessary materials such as pens, pencils, erasers and rulers should be present.
After you answer these questions, come up with a plan.
Here's an example of what one family's plan might look like.
3:45 pm Boys arrive home, have a nutritious snack (Nothing Sugary!), read a magazine or chat.
No TV! 4:15 pm Begin homework.
They have until 6:00pm to finish everything, no later! 4:30 pm Father arrives home, says hi to the boys, does work of his own, reads, or begins dinner, but is available to the boys in case they have a question.
When the children are finished their homework they call their father and he checks to see that everything is completed and done neatly.
After a few weeks of acceptable completion he can check periodically.
The boys pack up their backpacks, place them at the door and begin any activity while they wait for dinner.
5:00 pm Mother arrives home and begins or helps to make dinner.
6:00 pm Dinner time - family eats and shares stories about the day.
6:45 pm Everyone clears their plate from the table and puts it in the dishwasher.
The boys are free to play at a friends house, watch TV, read, play a game, or watch a movie.
8:45 pm Boys change into their pajamas, brush their teeth, go to sleep or read in bed.
9:15 pm Lights out.
What happens if their homework is not completed by 6:00pm? You tell them that they have lost their privileges for the night and will have to find a quiet activity to do after their homework is completed.
If the assignment that wasn't completed is something large like a report or story, write a note to the teacher that says your child will work on it the following night and will hand it in the next day understanding that he will face any consequence the teacher sees fit.
Obviously, if the behavior persists, you will need to extend the removal of privileges for a week.
How do you stay strong? Well, this is the good part.
You have extremely good leverage if you use this homework plan.
Think about it.
Children have more energy in the day therefore it only makes sense to have them complete the work before they experience free time.
It's a goal for them; they become more energized when they know that there is something good at the end of it.
Communication between you, your child, and your child's teacher is also imperative for this new plan to work, so the next step to preparing your child for success comes during the first week of school.
Be sure to set up a meeting with your child's teacher and at that meeting have your child inform the teacher about his/her homework plan.
This teaches accountability and allows them to take ownership of their learning, which in turn builds self-esteem.
So, in summary, set a time in the next week or two to sit down and write out a schedule that fits your lifestyle, keeping in mind of course that homework must be completed before dinner time.
Make this work.
Rearrange things, cut out needless after school commitments, do what you have to do to make this work.
Your next move is to sit down with your child and present the schedule to them.
Be sure you also review the consequences of what will happen if they do not finish their homework before dinner time.
(Remember, the odd time they might have a longer project they need to finish up, but this should not have to interfere with the weekday schedule too much.
) Next, during the first week of school, set up a meeting with your child's teacher and have your child present the schedule to his or her teacher; this makes them accountable.
The only thing left to do is to stick to the schedule 100%.
Especially at the beginning, it is imperative for you to apply consequences if your child does not comply.
And remember, it is almost guaranteed that they won't comply for the first little while because they are testing you to see just how serious you are about this.
Be strong, smile inside, and apply a consequence if needed!
Although the right school supplies and clothes are necessary, they are not going to help prepare your child for a successful year at school.
Do you remember opening that first page in your crisp notebook and using your best printing to write the first word? Now, how many of you remember the day the excitement wore off and the printing wasn't all that neat anymore? In order to ensure that your children has a successful year, one very important skill is needed; how to create an organized homework routine.
Here's how it works.
Ask yourself these questions: 1) At what time does your child/children get home from school? 2) At what time could you consistently eat dinner on the weekdays? 3) What time will one parent be available to be home while the child is doing the homework? 4) What after dinner jobs must be completed by your child/children? Ex.
Clear dishes, load the dishwasher, wash/dry dishes, sweep the floor? 5) Where is a good location for your child/children to do their homework? They should have a comfortable chair, a clear space to work on, the room should be quiet without distractions and all necessary materials such as pens, pencils, erasers and rulers should be present.
After you answer these questions, come up with a plan.
Here's an example of what one family's plan might look like.
3:45 pm Boys arrive home, have a nutritious snack (Nothing Sugary!), read a magazine or chat.
No TV! 4:15 pm Begin homework.
They have until 6:00pm to finish everything, no later! 4:30 pm Father arrives home, says hi to the boys, does work of his own, reads, or begins dinner, but is available to the boys in case they have a question.
When the children are finished their homework they call their father and he checks to see that everything is completed and done neatly.
After a few weeks of acceptable completion he can check periodically.
The boys pack up their backpacks, place them at the door and begin any activity while they wait for dinner.
5:00 pm Mother arrives home and begins or helps to make dinner.
6:00 pm Dinner time - family eats and shares stories about the day.
6:45 pm Everyone clears their plate from the table and puts it in the dishwasher.
The boys are free to play at a friends house, watch TV, read, play a game, or watch a movie.
8:45 pm Boys change into their pajamas, brush their teeth, go to sleep or read in bed.
9:15 pm Lights out.
What happens if their homework is not completed by 6:00pm? You tell them that they have lost their privileges for the night and will have to find a quiet activity to do after their homework is completed.
If the assignment that wasn't completed is something large like a report or story, write a note to the teacher that says your child will work on it the following night and will hand it in the next day understanding that he will face any consequence the teacher sees fit.
Obviously, if the behavior persists, you will need to extend the removal of privileges for a week.
How do you stay strong? Well, this is the good part.
You have extremely good leverage if you use this homework plan.
Think about it.
Children have more energy in the day therefore it only makes sense to have them complete the work before they experience free time.
It's a goal for them; they become more energized when they know that there is something good at the end of it.
Communication between you, your child, and your child's teacher is also imperative for this new plan to work, so the next step to preparing your child for success comes during the first week of school.
Be sure to set up a meeting with your child's teacher and at that meeting have your child inform the teacher about his/her homework plan.
This teaches accountability and allows them to take ownership of their learning, which in turn builds self-esteem.
So, in summary, set a time in the next week or two to sit down and write out a schedule that fits your lifestyle, keeping in mind of course that homework must be completed before dinner time.
Make this work.
Rearrange things, cut out needless after school commitments, do what you have to do to make this work.
Your next move is to sit down with your child and present the schedule to them.
Be sure you also review the consequences of what will happen if they do not finish their homework before dinner time.
(Remember, the odd time they might have a longer project they need to finish up, but this should not have to interfere with the weekday schedule too much.
) Next, during the first week of school, set up a meeting with your child's teacher and have your child present the schedule to his or her teacher; this makes them accountable.
The only thing left to do is to stick to the schedule 100%.
Especially at the beginning, it is imperative for you to apply consequences if your child does not comply.
And remember, it is almost guaranteed that they won't comply for the first little while because they are testing you to see just how serious you are about this.
Be strong, smile inside, and apply a consequence if needed!
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