Have you thought about where your kids will be doing their homework? Where have they done it in the past? Have they spread out in the dining room, den, kitchen, or even on the floor? These are rooms in the home that tend to be loud, carry heavy foot traffic and let’s not forget all of the distractions they encounter while there. Create a space that is quiet with little to no distractions. This can be a space in the bedroom, office, or a little nook in a finished basement or re-designed closet.
Here are 6 tips to create an atmosphere where your child will be focused and excited to do their homework:
Furniture. Choose a desk and chair that are comfortable and ergonomically correct for your child. Be sure to test the desk and chair to make sure it is functional and suits them. Be sure they have the appropriate lighting.
Supplies. Be sure to stock the desk area with all the supplies your child will need. Before you rush out to the store, take inventory of what you have around the home.
Filing Systems. This is so important. Paper is not going anywhere and you have to have systems to deal with all of the paper that arrives in the home. Set up these systems in the beginning of the year and make a daily habit of filing papers.
Calendar. Keep a calendar on the desk so your child can keep track of important due dates and events. Also get in them in the habit of creating daily to –do lists and keeping them on this desk.
Organize. Work with your child and set up organized systems that will work for them. Make the systems as simple as possible. The simpler the system, the easier it will be to maintain. Teach them to file away paperwork, put back supplies when finished, and check off items on a to-list on a regular basis. Give your child structure and systems and they will appreciate it.
Routine. Your children will get in the habit of utilizing their desk. Their paperwork will not be spread out all over the home. They won’t lose important papers, because all the papers will be contained to their desk area. Create these routines now and habits will form.
Even if you don’t think you have the space in your home, take a look around, you may be surprised where you can carve a small nook out for your child to have their own space. Give them an organized, structured space of their own and watch how they gravitate towards it.
On Tuesday, September 20th at 6:30pm, I’m giving a free presentation at Cumberland Public Library. Organizing Hacks for Teens. This is going to be a presentation given in a laid back, hang out type atmosphere. I’ll be talking with the teens about how their functioning now and giving them tips to become organized and efficient this school year. Please join me. Please call the library to register at 401-333-2552.
Kristin Carcieri-MacRae, is an organizing & efficiency expert and owner of Organizing in RI. Kristin teaches her clients that living an organized lifestyle will save them time and money, decrease their stress levels and help them become more efficient and productive. Her articles have been published in local and national magazines. Kristin's CD, Organizing Basics, is a 1-hour guide for the person who wants to get organized but doesn't know where to begin. She is also available for organizing workshops.
Related Slideshow: RI Experts Advice for Back to School Sanity
I now have one adult child out of the house, one who I just sent of to college, one in Elementary school and also a high school student.
Elementary is easy. I just let him enjoy his last days of Summer without the pressure.
I buy very few school clothes before October. Then you get the sales and they really do wear their shorts and Summer clothes anyway.
The High Schooler is a little tougher. Its back to very early mornings for him and he is a challenge to get out the door. I try to focus on the proper supplies for him and making sure he has his electronics in order.
The biggest problem I have with getting my teenage son ready for the upcoming school year is, getting his sleep and eating schedule back on track. Like many teenagers he adapted the horrible vampire habits of summer - stay up as late as he can and, sleep till noon. Fortunately for me, he's been a bit more interested in getting healthy and working out/physical fitness over the past month.
I plan to use that to my benefit by making him do his own self-research about the importance of a good sleep and eating schedule when it comes to building a good physically fit body. In addition to getting him to make "himself" more aware of what is important, we will start the process of "lights out" earlier and, practice the horrific ritual of getting him up early prior to the first day of school.
He goes to The Met School in Providence so the start time of school is not so bad but it still takes a bit of getting used to after a free flowing summer.
Surely as the dog days of summer are here, the uptick in the pace of September can already be felt. While my children are grown now and grandchildren yet to come, there is a natural "back-to-school" impact everyone experiences. Being the mom of young women, there is still the fall and winter clothes shopping and that involves more catalog shopping than in-store shopping these days, especially when it comes to items such as shoes, bags, and accessories. Christmas lists are already being made. Fall is my favorite time of year, so a foliage or fall enjoy New England trip is always on the list.
Working in public relations means you are always working 2-3 months, if not 6 months out...so by the time September comes around, I'm looking at Christmas and the New Year. It is all about organization. Planning that gets lax in summertime, goes into high gear - right - about - NOW. This is the final quarter of the year and time to assess what you wanted to get done - and where you are on that timeline....can you coast or is it an all out sprint and time to pull out the stops.
With this fall also having a presidential election, the clutter in marketing and advertising is a time to think creatively, too, about how you will deliver the message you want to. Recognizing that clients and the media will have children scurrying back to school and schedules will start to be full with rushing kids around to football practice and dance lessons - and homework time - it's all about being sensitive to those we deal with. I actually find that we all get more efficient when time is shorter - and with holidays approaching, that is even more true.
When my children were young, I absolutely loved the shopping for school supplies - matching notebooks and book covers, etc. Buying planners! So, if you don't have little ones around anymore, nothing says you can't go out and buy the newest line of markers and notebooks, too, and get organized!
One of the best pieces of advice I can give about getting ready and staying sane for the upcoming school year is “gradual transition.”
My mother did this with us and it works just as well today. It’s impossible to jump right into “school mode” after a summer void of schedules and late bedtimes.
With a couple of weeks until school begins it’s a good idea to get the bedtimes going in the right direction and getting back into the routine of the day. This might include making sure the math packets are completed and how can I not mention the summer reading? The last thing you want is unhappy children cramming in the summer reading. School begins in two weeks. Now is the time.
Having 3 kids aged 13-25 I've been dealing with this for a very long time..
Kids want to choose their clothes, so instead of arguing, I have drawers & hangers specifically for school. I have control over what's in them, but they have control over every day choices...
The other thing I'm big on is where items "live"..keys, notebooks, gloves, etc...then they are not searching for something last minute!
During this back to school season, make life simple. Plan and prepare anything you can ahead of time. Create morning and evening routines.
Create organized spaces with simple, streamlined, functional systems that everybody will follow. If your kids rooms aren't organized, this would be a great time to declutter and organize their space! The less distractions they have around them, the easier it will be for them to stay focused.
Get a healthcare proxy signed before your son/daughter goes off to campus. This is critical for students over 18, otherwise you will not have access to medical info in the case of and emergency (due to healthcare privacy laws). You need to be able to speak with doctors and make decisions remotely and quickly if anything happens.
Practice the first day of school routine: Getting into a sleep routine before the first week of school will aide in easing the shock of waking up early. Organizing things at home — backpack, binder, lunchbox or cafeteria money — will help make the first morning go smoothly. Having healthy, yet kid-friendly lunches will help keep them energized throughout the day. Also, walking through the building and visiting your child’s locker and classroom will help ease anxiety of the unknown.
Get the kids to bed. Kids need more sleep than most people realize. While children up to third grade may require up to 12 hours per night, even high schoolers still need a solid eight to 10 hours, according to the National Sleep Foundation. Quickly address factors that may be resulting in sleep loss, such as managing a demanding schedule, feeling anxious, or using technology late at night.
I used to start putting The Boy to bed at his school bedtime about a week before school started. Just in case. Nowadays, he stays up until who knows when in the summer and he sleeps until 9:00 or so. Thank. God. When school starts I figure his body will get the hint when he starts bumping into walls and falling down stairs by lunchtime, then everything will work itself out and he'll be fine.
