Growing children may look and
even act mature, but they will not yet have the planning skills you might wish
for more often than not. They may need some help to keep their world organized.
Here are some tips to help your
children build the skills they will need to keep their lives running smoothly:
Decide what is important. Your
children may not need to have every aspect of their lives organized, so figure
out together what activities or times cause the most stress and make sure
routines are set for those.
Does the morning routine always
cause stress? Plan this out carefully. Is soccer practice driving everyone
crazy? Develop a plan for when the gym bags get packed.
Stick to the routine. Once you
make plans, be sure to follow them as well as possible. This will help your
children understand how routines can keep life running smoothly. Reinforce that
connection. Say things like: “We got to practice with no problems today — your
morning checklist really worked!”
Reinforce your child's
successes. Acknowledge the times when children are able to stay organized, and
help them problem-solve when the routine doesn't work.
Stay involved. Once your
children get a handle on a routine, they will still need your support. Check in
and ask how the routine is working. This will also make it easier for you to
help brainstorm problems and solutions if obstacles arise. These are important
life lessons.
