Keeping Up - Helping the Homeschooler With Time Management

One of the biggest obstacles to success in a homeschooling environment is a lack of time management. Usually, fingers point to the parent in this situation, but often, children are the ones who contribute greatly to a loss of time. The situation is not always their fault, especially considering that one central purpose of distance learning and homeschooling is to allow for more flexibility in terms of time. Still, time is a very valuable and important aspect of a homeschooling program, and as a result, it is important to do everything possible to maximize its use. By educating children on how to best use their time, parents can ensure themselves of a successful and effective program.

One of the most important things that a parent can do to teach their child the importance (and basics) of time management is to introduce them to a planning system. Whether it means using a wall calendar or an actual planner, giving children a visual guide to what must be done and the amount of time available to complete the task certainly helps minimize time lost. The calendar can include various aspects, both academic and non-academic, such as lessons, tests, field trips, and even sports practices and games, and should be readily accessible by the student.

For students who are visual learners, the calendar can be created using a color coordinated system that allows them to see just how much time is dedicated to each specific task. Another suggestion involves allow the students themselves to develop the schedule. This allows them to take ownership of the task, and the time involved in completing it.

Timers can also be effective ways to teach children how to manage their time. The timers themselves don't have to be expensive either. A simple kitchen timer or even an alarm clock can be used to signal the beginning or the end of a specific task. Many times, children (especially young children) simply do not have a true concept of time. They may over or under estimate what is available. By making time concrete and tangible, they will slowly come to understand this often-abstract concept. One word of caution though: stay true to the time on the clock. If children see that time is not important to you, it certainly will not be important to them.

The most important aspect of teaching a child time management is to place genuine importance on time available. When a parent makes it clear to a student that they are expected to complete a task in a certain amount of time, and then in turn holds the student responsible for completing the task in that given amount of time, the child easily begins to understand that time cannot be wasted. However, if a parent tries to teach time management, and a child sees that time is clearly not important to them, then they in turn will have no real reason for wanting to comply with any type of calendar, schedule, or timer.

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