Organizational skills come more naturally to some children than others. Good organizational skills and study habits can greatly improve children's chances of academic success. Help your children or students to develop good organizational skills early on so that these skills turn into lifelong habits.
Study Space
Encourage children to study in a quiet place without distractions. Discourage children from studying in front of the TV or computer, for example. Studying in the same place every night can help children develop a consistent routine. Keep this study space stocked with homework supplies such as paper, pens, pencils and erasers. Encourage children to study at a table or desk rather than on a couch or bed where they might be tempted to fall asleep.
Notebooks
Children should keep a separate binder or folder for each class so that their files, assignments and handouts remain organized. Choose colorful or appealing binders that your child will enjoy using. Use dividers to separate notes, handouts or returned assignments within a binder for one class. Encourage children to go through their notebooks regularly to remove scraps of paper, doodles or other files they no longer need.
Planners
Writing down assignments, and upcoming quizzes and tests can help children stay on top of their work. Encourage children to maintain a planner or calendar in which they write all of their assignments for each class. Children should also enter their extracurricular commitments into their planners so that know to work ahead of time if they have a big event or game the day before an assignment is due. When children finish an assignment or complete a quiz or test, they can get the satisfaction of crossing that item off in their planner.
Family Support
You can help your child stay organized by taking certain steps at home. Maintain a regular schedule, with consistent meal times and bedtimes. Maintain a large calendar for the whole family, and list the academic and extracurricular commitments of all children as well as any other major family commitments. Reinforce good organizational skills with positive feedback, and provide gentle reminders about the importance of organization and time management if you notice your child's schoolwork getting chaotic.
