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Time Management for Kids
One of the best things you can do for your children is teaching them time management for kids. If they learn to
utilize these skills as children they are far more likely to be successful in school, careers, and with their
families later in life. Time and money management skills are by far the best gifts we are parents can give our
kids. I hope that you will use the following tips to help your children to manage their time wisely.
When teaching time management for kids to your children, there are many things you can do in order to make the
lesson more profound for your children. The first, of course, is to set a positive time management example. Get
your chores done on time and on target. Your children will learn many things by the examples you set. This goes far
beyond chores but that is a good place to start. They will also learn poor time management skills if you set a
negative example. Be the positive role model they need when it comes to time management and you will be amazed at
how well your attempts to teach them will go.
In our family we have the morning routine, which is very compact. Mommy does a lot of the heavy lifting during the
morning routine but the little ones know what they must do in order to get out of the house on time and learned
quickly that it is in their best interest to do so as breakfast is the last thing before walking out the door. My
kids love to eat and this is a very effective method for teaching time management for kids in my
household.
It is the time after school when the struggles arise. We have found that each of our children is different and
requires a little different method when teaching time management for kids. My son does well with time limits. For
this reason we purchased a simple kitchen timer. He has a certain amount of time in which to complete his homework.
If he doesn't complete his homework within the time frame he misses out on his 'play time'. We have also used the
timer when he has chores. He complains endlessly about the time limit but it seems to be effective at motivating
him to manage his time more wisely.
My youngest is a little too young to concern herself with time management and the oldest has learned the all around
important lesson of proper time management for kids: the quicker she completes her chores, the quicker she can
play, chat, text, or phone her friends. Call me old fashioned but I think she should devote all her energy to her
chores while she is doing them rather than a small portion.
Speaking of chores, chores are an important tool when it comes to teaching time management for kids. Chores are the
things we teach them to do so that they appreciate playtime better. We have rewards for chores (movies, bowling,
skating, movies, and games, etc.) but the chores must be completed in a reasonable amount of time, without an
unreasonable amount of argument.
Schedules are another important tool for teaching time management for kids. Whenever possible try to have things on
a regular schedule, this keeps your kids on track and allows them to judge for themselves how much time is left in
their tasks and chores before it infringes on their playtime.
Teaching time management for kids prepares your children for the challenges they will face as they grow and lets
them learn how to prioritize at an early age. This is something I wish I had learned as a child.
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