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Why? Well, unless kids get in the habit of showing up at their appointed location to do those homework assignments, they’re going to have a hard time succeeding in school.
They'll also have a hard time later on in life, when the boss won't take kindly to projects left unfinished or patched together willy-nilly.
Now is the time for kids to learn how to manage deadlines and tackle assignments so they'll develop good habits and self-discipline – qualities they'll be able to draw from well into adulthood.
What can you do to help?
One key to your children's homework success is helping them set up routines. Predictability is important because it helps make certain tasks "no-brainers." The more "automatic" you can make a task, the more likely your children will get into the habit of just doing it.
Another key to homework success, especially for the middle school crowd, is learning to manage time and keep track of commitments.
Build predictability into the schedule.
Let's look at predictability first. If you want to help make something routine, you need to do two things: establish a specific place for the task to get done and establish a specific time for the doing.
Make sure you've designated a specific area in the home for homework and studying. The area needs to include a desk or other surface with enough space on top so students can spread out their books and papers. You'll also need storage for the necessary pens, pencils, glue, ruler, scissors, paper, tape, markers and reference books.
Another essential for building predictability is designating a specific time for doing homework. Attach some rules to "homework time" to make sure it actually gets done. The last thing you want to hear at bedtime is "Oh, wait, I forgot…."
Some parents allow a one-hour break right after school so students can relax and have a snack. When the hour's up, the students have to do their homework – no playing, no computer and no TV until all the homework is done.
Other families allow a quick snack and then send their kids straight to the homework. If your children have sports commitments toward evening, this might work well for you since most kids are tired after practice and less "enthusiastic" about doing homework.
However you choose to structure "homework time," be sure to keep it a firm and routine rule of the house.
Help kids learn to track time and commitments.
Learning to keep track of time, deadlines and commitments is just one of the differences between grade school and middle school. In middle school, for the first time, students have multiple teachers. They start to get busy with extracurricular activities, and the homework assignments get bigger. Whatever you can do to help them learn to keep track of it all will add to their effectiveness now and later – in high school, college, and the work world.
One of the biggest challenges is teaching middle schoolers how to keep track of assignments. Provide them with a planner or assignment log. Show them how to use it, and encourage your kids to write down all assignments along with the due date.
A calendar's the perfect tool for storing test dates. Kids can use different colors, too, to note exams, reports, etc. If you post a bulletin board above the desk, they can tack the calendar to it and have a visual aid for everything that's coming due.
Teach basic project management skills for long-term projects.
When it comes to long-term projects, teach students how to break the project down into smaller tasks. They can make a list of everything they have to do in order to complete the project. Then, pull out a calendar. Mark down when the project is due, then count back. This is how much time they have to get everything done.
Help kids estimate how long each interim task will take, and then assign due dates to them. Write the tasks on the calendar. If students keep up with the interim dates, they'll accomplish the project smoothly and right on time.
Show how a folder can keep completed assignments organized.
If you find your children have a hard time keeping straight what they've completed and what they still have to do, give them a special "homework" folder. Handouts and assignment notes go into the left pocket when the teacher passes them out. When the child completes the assignment, it goes into the right side.
Prepare for the long haul.
One thing I've come to recognize over the years is that kids are a work in progress. Now that I come to think of it, aren't we all?
So if your children don't immediately take to your homework organizing tips, don't let it discourage you. What you're doing is setting a foundation that will take lots of practice to become a habit – especially for kids.
But by creating routines and predictability, and teaching your kids basic time management skills, you'll help them enormously. They will eventually learn how to manage homework on their own – and keep it organized.
Good luck!
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