Setting Your Child Up For Success This School Year

As the summer break draws to a close, parents and children across Middle Georgia are going through the pre-school rituals of buying backpacks and school supplies and wondering what the new school year will bring. The crazy routine of back-to-school can derail even the most organized, stable household. Taking a little time now can help set your stellar student up for success this school year.






Create Routines



Does your child do his homework as soon as he gets home or does he zone out by watching TV and playing video games before doing his homework? Find what works for your child and stick to it. Morning routines are also important to be sure everyone gets out of the house on time and with a bare minimum of bedlam. The night before lay out clothes, pack the lunch boxes and be sure the backpacks are packed up and ready to go including all completed homework assignments.



Set Up Homework Station



Having a dedicated place for your child to do his homework is an important part of your school routine. It can be a desk in his room or at the kitchen table or even curled up on the couch. A nearby bookcase, cupboard or even a portable bin, should serve as supply store for your child’s work. Stock with any necessary tools such as notebook paper, pens, pencils, crayons, markers and rulers.



Have a Home



When you child comes home from school, does she know where her backpack and lunch box live? They should have regular landing zones. It could be a hook next to the child’s desk in her room or in a cubby by the entry door. Having a consistent place to put these items will make them easier to find and cause fewer headaches during that mad dash out the door in the morning.



Plan It



Students from elementary school to high school are expected to keep track of their assignments and manage their time. One way to do this is to use a planner. When students write down specific homework assignments, they do not have to trust their memories when they get home or spend time phoning classmates to get the assignments. Older students enter upcoming tests and projects so they can budget their time by breaking large assignments into smaller chunks. These are great skills to master at a young age because once the children get into middle and high school, their schedules and work load are much more complicated. As a parent, you should look at the planner regularly so you can help keep your child on task.



By giving your child the tools of organization, you can help them relieve the stress of finding their backpack and knowing when the next test is. When they are not as worried about those kinds of things, they can put their energies into the academics of school and, who knows, they might actually like it!