Which people are the most
successful in life? Sometimes it is not necessarily those who are the brightest
or the most highly educated or the most well-intentioned.
Whether a child is in school or
outside the classroom, being organized before showing up is an important trait
that can make a real difference.
One good way to help children
get in the habit of being organized is to buy them a big calendar. It should
have lots of spaces to write on each day. The bigger, the better.
Encourage children to write key
dates on the calendar, such as birthdays, school holidays, medical
appointments, and planned outings.
Have them mark the dates they
have to be somewhere regularly, such as after-school sports practices or music
lessons.
Next, have them add the due
dates for homework assignments, especially those that will take time to
complete. And be sure they write in dates for exams.
Help children get into the
habit of checking the calendar every weeknight for the next day’s activities.
Then talk about what needs to be done to prepare. Sunday night is a good time
to check on what’s happening throughout the following week and to add new
things that are coming up.
In many families, a calendar
has proven to be the key to helping children schedule time wisely and stay
organized — a habit that proves valuable throughout life.
