| Time
Management for Kids
by Rachel Paxton, CreativeHomemaking.com
Do you ever feel like there's not enough time in the day?
You've just realized it's time for bed, and you still haven't
accomplished all you set out to do today?
Put yourself in your kids' shoes. If you can't prioritize and
accomplish your own daily tasks, how can you expect your children
to do the same? Time management is an acquired skill. Help your
kids learn to be better managers of their time. I have devised
a way to help our 12-yr-old daughter with time management by
dividing her main activities into five basic categories: homework,
chores, bed time, social activities, and telephone.
Homework and chores kind of go hand in hand. They have to be
accomplished every day. Our daughter started middle school this
year, and she is exhausted when she gets home every day. I have
a hard time putting her to work right when she gets home. Our
initial rule was that her chores and homework had to be done
before bedtime. That worked to a point, except that she was
always underestimating how long it would take to get everything
done and she'd save it all until the last minute. We then tried
a different approach.
Our daughter gets home at 3:00 every day. Dinner's at about
6:00, and bed time is 9:30. That gives her approximately the
same amount of free time before and after dinner. The new rule
is that one thing (chores or homework) has to be done before
dinner, and the other one after dinner. So far this has worked
very well for us. She has a little time to relax after school
and feels she has a little control over her own time.
Bed time has always been a problem at our house. We initially
told our daughter she had to go to her bedroom at 9:30 but she
could stay awake as long as she likes (reading, listening to
music) as long as she got herself up when the alarm went off.
This worked for a couple of weeks and then she started sleeping
through her alarm. So now the lights go off by 10:00. As soon
as she proves she can get up on her own again, she will earn
this privilege back.
Social activities are great, as long as they're supervised
by adults and also granted in moderation. Don't spoil your kids
by letting them go wherever they want whenever they want, even
if they have all their chores and homework done. The more time
they spend with their friends, the more time they have to be
influenced by who knows what kind of peer pressure. The more
time kids spend at home with their families the better. Make
social activities a privilege your children have to earn so
they will see them as a privilege and not something you owe
them. Teach them to spend their time in more constructive ways
like reading, writing, or playing games with the family.
And along with the social activities comes phone privileges.
Telephone conversations at our house are limited to 15 minutes
each, 2 to 3 maximum per day, and not after 9:00 p.m. Even this
is lenient, but it gives our daughter ample opportunity to talk
to her friends about homework, etc. Limiting phone time also
encourages kids to spend their time in more constructive ways
and teaches them to think about what they want to say before
they get on the phone.
Remember, kids not only need to learn how to manage their time,
they also need to learn to use their time wisely. That's the
only way they will be able to compete in today's world. There's
plenty of time for fun, but only after the work is done. Kids
have a lot on their plates these days, and they aren't born
knowing how to manage their time. This is where you come in.
Kids need to be taught these skills, and not just by word, but
by example. Don't forget to practice what you preach.
Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom who publishes
the Creative Homemaking Recipe of the Week Club, a weekly newsletter
that contains quick, easy dinner ideas and money-saving household
hints. To subscribe send a blank e-mail message to FreeRecipes-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
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Copyright 2002 by Rachel Paxton. Reproduction without permission
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