You stand frozen in place, staring into the faces of your kids. They have just asked one of those dreaded questions that are almost as bad as “Jimmy says there isn’t a Santa Claus…” or “Where do babies come from?” Your eyes dart around frantically for an escape. Maybe the window? You could do a commando-roll into the hydrangeas, be on the sidewalk, and three blocks away before they could hop on their bicycles and chase you down…
“Mooooom,” they’ve asked, throwing their pencils down in frustration, “when will we ever use this stuff in the real world???”
We all know school is important, but the third line of the fourth scene of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” probably won’t play a big role in your kids’ day-to-day life…or will it? Not only is knowledge a wonderful thing in and of itself, but no matter what the lesson, you can use homework to teach your kids some great life-skills that will last them into high school and beyond! So before you crush those precious hydrangeas…
Life-Skill #1: Keeping a Calendar and To-do list
Keeping a calendar and to-do list are skills that are great to learn early. I know what you’re thinking: “…but I can barely keep a to-do list myself. How can I teach my kids?”
Well, your family can figure out a specific system that’s right for you, but here are two important components to any calendar system:
1) Have a specific place to log assignments – This can be as fancy as a daily planner, or as simple as a designated section in a school notebook – just as long as your kids are always writing down assignments neatly and legibly in one place (instead of, say, on their lunch napkin, their hand, the side of their shoe…).
2) Have a separate monthly calendar- This is for important deadlines, holidays, birthdays, etc. That way, you and your kids can see how much time they actually have to get their homework done.
I’ll admit, keeping a to-do list takes practice and patience. As time goes on, you and your kids can figure out what works best for you, but here are some tips to get you started:
- Color-coding – Each category of to-do (i.e. Science, Math, etc) can be a separate color
- Keep it simple – The monthly calendar is just for big stuff, the daily/weekly is for assignments.
- Check off completed assignments clearly and neatly – It’s very tempting for a kid to scribble out finished assignments, but you never know when they’ll need to reference the old assignment. Instead, put one nice little check in front a completed item, and if the kids really, really want to cross it out, make sure they use a single, neat line.
No matter what, don’t give up! Remember, keeping a to-do list and calendar takes practice, and lots of it. Sometimes assignments will still slip through the cracks, so don’t let them get you or your kids down. Make sure your kids know that they’re doing a great job, and encourage them to keep up the great work!
Filed under: Learning Tips, Technology and Kids Tagged: | homework
