Helping Your Child Stay Organised at School*

Little Miss has now been at school for almost a year and a half. In the beginning it was mainly play, but as she grows we’re starting to get homework, difficult reading assignments and topic work. Understandably it’s sometimes hard for her to stay focused both in class and at home trying to complete homework. She’s just 6 and we get up in the morning at 7:30, leave the house at 8:30 and she doesn’t finish until 3:20. For such a small child it’s a lot and although she’s smart (more creative than academic though) I worry that without my help she’ll become bogged down with everything and lost in the system. I know I’m not the only mother who worries about this, so I’ve put together a post of a few ways to help your kid stay organised and focused on school, because after all these days they have a good 14 years to get through!

Encourage Healthy Homework Habits
As a parent, the best thing you can do is encourage healthy homework habits. A lot of kids get home from school and can’t even face homework, reading or spellings but it’s something that needs to be done. Encouraging your child to do it as soon as they get in is better than the stress of doing it last minute and it’s something they can carry throughout school. My mum was so soft and it resulted in me no reaching my full potential, don’t get me wrong I loved it as a child but I definitely regret not putting more effort in now that I’m an adult. I hope by gently encouraging LM to get her school work done will help her not make the same mistake.

I 100% recommend creating a school space in your home. With a desk or a table, everything they’d need for homework assignments, school projects or somewhere simply to read. Hanging a notice board above it with a homework time table will help your child stay organised and spread any work load across the week rather than cramming everything into one day. If your child is young, it could also help them understand time and the days of the week. You could even pin achievements to the notice board which will be a great reminded that hard work is rewarded.

Play to Their Strengths, Help With Their Weaknesses
Very few children are completely well rounded when it comes to subjects at school. Some excel at Maths, while others can read and spell, then some kids are incredibly creative. However each kid needs to be able to complete all classes to a specific standard. If your kid is incredibly gifted at sport, but not so good at English, focus on the English first and reward with the sport. They don’t need to be getting grade As in English, but just enough to pass. It’s a hard lesson to learn in school that you can’t put all your energy into one subject and ignore the rest no matter how much you enjoy or excel at it.

From a young age talk with your child and their teacher about what they like and dislike, are good at and not so good at. This way you can be on hand as a parent to ensure your kid is getting the help they need with their weaknesses so they’re able to excel at their strengths.

Don’t Shy Away from After School Clubs
Yes, extra curricular activities can get expensive but they could benefit your child in so many ways. Not only do they encourage your kid to socialise out of school in a safe environment (because lets face it, roaming the streets isn’t safe these days) but they help build a great portfolio and nourish talents. It goes along with playing to their strengths. If your child is sporty, a football club would be a great way to encourage your child to focus in school on work then they can play football after. If your kid is creative, a drama, theatre or dance class is a good way to explore that.

Some schools even run their own after school clubs, although a lot of them are more academically focused such as an art club or homework club. Although they may not appeal as much as other clubs they could help your child get ahead in school freeing up more time at home to do as they wish.

Being a parent is hard and raising a child to ensure they get a good start in life is one of the hardest things you need to do but keeping them focused and organised in regards to school can help take the pressure off a little.