Effective ways to teach your kids time management

Even as adults, most people still struggle with keeping time for their appointments or finishing their tasks on time. While you may have a valid reason sometimes, it usually boils down to not being able to manage time effectively. It might have cost you a few times and you probably swore to change. You can make sure your kids do not fall into the same trap with these time management strategies.

Start early

You probably know that with kids, it is best to lay a good foundation as early as possible for the habit to form. Start instilling in them the importance of time management from a young age by using age-appropriate strategies. For instance, for homework, help your child break down projects into 30-minute blocks of time and set a timer to remind them.

Buy them a watch

As you teach them how to tell time, buying them a watch gives them an awareness of when they are supposed to do things. Now that children at at home, have a schedule for free time, studying, chores and teach them to attend to things at the right time. It also teaches them to honour time-sensitive appointments in future.

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Have a schedule

Kids usually work well with some sort of routine and having a family schedule helps them plan their time well. For instance, set breakfast at 8 am and have a rule that before breakfast, the bed must be made. After a while, they will get used to this and other scheduled chores and tasks around the house. Having a schedule helps them not to over-slot their time and have an awareness of their priorities.

Use rewards

The reward system has always been effective in teaching kids a skill or when it comes to disciplining them. Use simple rewards for when your child manages to finish a task in the allocated time based on what they enjoy doing in a way that is age-appropriate. For instance, if they are meant to finish a task in an hour and they do, they earn 30 minutes of TV.

Eventually, teaching your kids this useful skill will work to your advantage in future as you will not be stuck helping them finish a school project the night before it is due.