Growing
children may look and even act mature, but more often than not 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 those routines are set.
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 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.
