Tutoring, Why Use It? – Dr. Levy on the Real Talk Corner Podcast
Developing strong organizational skills is key for success in school and life. As students progress through school, the organizational demands increase - there are more tests and assignments to keep track of, schedules to follow, and routines to maintain. In this podcast, I discuss ways children and adults can develop stronger organizational skills.
Set up a Homework Time
Before the school year begins, set up a regular homework time with your child. Some children prefer to do their homework right when they get home from school, while others like a snack break or a longer athletic break before starting their work. Any of these options can work but the key is consistency. Pick a daily homework time for your child and stick with it! Even if your child doesn’t have homework on a given night, encourage them to use that time to study for an upcoming test, review previously learned material, or even just read.
Use Checklists
Checklists are a great tool for staying organized, both in and out of school. If your child is groggy and disorganized in the morning when they wake up, come up with a morning checklist that you can hang on the wall in their room. This checklist might include items such as: brush teeth, get dressed, eat breakfast, and check backpack. You might create a similar checklist with your child for an evening routine, like: finish homework, put away or turn in homework, shower, get ready for bed. Likewise, you can use checklists for packing for a trip or getting ready for a sleep over.
Learn more about helping your child become more organized at:
https://eblcoaching.com/4-tips-to-help-your-child-become-more-organized-at-school/
Color Code!
As your child moves through the school year, inevitably their piles of papers will grow. Avoid a giant mess of papers by encouraging your child to color code their school work by subject. For instance, all science-related material might go in a green folder, math work might go in a blue folder, English work in a purple folder, and so on. They can even use highlighters and pens in the colors that correspond to each subject. This will help them stay organized as the piles of papers for each subject increases. Executive functioning tutoring can also help build these skills!
Try Chunking
Your child may feel overwhelmed by the volume of work they need to complete for school. There may be multiple assignments, long-term projects, and tests to study for. Help your child feel more organized and on top of their work by teaching them to chunk the material. Encourage them to use an assignment book (even if their teacher posts assignments online!), break the tasks down into steps, and enter those steps into their assignment book. For instance, if they have a project to complete for science, they might break it down into five steps, decide when to complete each step, and put each step into their assignment book as a task they need to complete. This will help build stronger time management, organization, and executive functioning skills. Executive functioning coaching can help build these skills as well!
Prepare for the Next Day
The night before school, your child should organize their belongings for the next day. Specifically, they should make sure all of the homework they completed is put away in their backpack in the right place to be turned in. They should also make sure they put any necessary books or materials they need for school in their backpack to bring to school the next day. Additionally, you may want to encourage them to lay out their clothes for the next day and even decide what they plan to have for breakfast to help make the morning calmer and less stressful.
Strong organizational skills can help your child excel in school. Study skills tutoring or executive functioning coaching can also help your child build these skills but you can try these strategies at home and your child will be well on their way to success!
Learn more about helping your child build stronger organizational skills for the new school year at
https://eblcoaching.com/homework-organizational-tips-for-the-new-school-year/