Inculcating a sense of organization in children is of utmost importance. Children who can manage their time well, are known to finish their tasks faster than those who are disorganized. This in turn makes them less frustrated while studying and helps to reduce their stress. Working in an organized fashion helps them plan their activities ahead of time, thereby increasing their productivity.
One of the easiest ways to develop coordination in kids is to involve them in organizing their backpacks, class notes and home work. Teaching them early to organize their books and notes regularly helps them get accustomed to their studies. Since children show a tendency to forget about their tasks, it also helps to refresh their memory, eventually getting them acclimated to the system they are in.
Making plans for the next day is another essential habit to develop in children. They should be able to identify their tasks for the next day and prepare for it. It also helps them complete their preparation for examinations since they can easily fix short term goals and achieve completion by the time they take the next examination.
A related practice is to split the work into small achievable goals and work on them over a prolonged period of time. This reduces the pressure of studying, especially since children have a tendency to lag behind on self-studying. Developing a habit of completing their daily homework and self-studies helps them to prepare for their exams over the entire course of their semester or trimester, which in turn increases retention, resulting in a better understanding of crucial concepts.
On a related note, an essential ability to develop early is the practice of splitting the hours of study into completing homework and self-studying. Students who can successfully find their rhythm in finishing allocated tasks and studying by themselves, can efficiently manage their time in the future as the curriculum increases with the years.
Providing children with their own space to study is an important necessity that both schools and parents should try to fulfil. Having a personal study table with their stationary, books and textbooks helps them identify that space with education and helps them focus on their task when they are there. Frequently shifting a child from one seat to another can often be distracting for a child in class and should only be done if their position is becoming a hindrance from fraternizing with the surrounding children in a way that makes them excessively inattentive in class.
Parents and teachers should also encourage children to make checklists and to-do lists and adhere to them. This allows children to lay down their pending tasks in front of them and make conscious choices about how to attain completion. If done right, this can be the most vital step in developing a sense of organization as it helps them both plan ahead as well as gradually complete their syllabus in manageable chunks.
We often see adults who struggle to use a planner or do not use it at all. Often this could be due a lack of practice. However, this can be extremely detrimental to productivity. Children when taught at a young age to use planners, can develop, and follow a daily routine. It is extremely important for children to develop an internal clock that helps them assign specific hours of the day to specific tasks or chores. This helps them fit into a routine by performing the same activities daily over extended periods of time, thereby helping them get the most out of their active hours while also getting adequate time to sleep and play. Using a planner also helps children to set long term goals and make necessary changes to their short-term goals based on any kind of backlogs in their preparation. Gaining a perspective of the end-goal also gives them a purpose like performing well in exams or in an upcoming match, since studying alone based on short term personal goals can make them lose interest by taking away the competitive aspect of performing in a group.
Using a calendar and clock at home is a necessity that parents should definitely try to fulfil. It helps children keep track of time and remember the days of the week which makes it easier for them to follow their routine and manage their time. Involving children in simple tasks at home teaches children to shoulder responsibility and self-sufficiency which in turn adds to their efficiency.
Parents and teachers should always be compassionate and supportive. Often, it’s easy to forget that being extremely organized is not a trait children are born with. It has to be taught and it takes years to develop. Adults often tend to judge a child’s sense of responsibility and efficiency by comparing them to adults, which should never be the case. It always helps to remember that as time passes, children always have more to learn than their parents did at the same age and therefore it might take them more effort and time to achieve the same level of ease in their academic life. They need to be motivated and guided, and care should be taken to refrain from unnecessary criticism or pushing their limits too far over too little time.
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