2. Help kids with time management

In addition to the tips on page 253, these tools will help you instill in your kids the importance of being prepared.

Use a planner

Kids need a way to keep track of chores, schoolwork, and extracurricular activities.

• That’s where a weekly agenda can help; let your kids choose the one they like (and then will be more inclined to use).
• Schedule a weekly update on Sunday, populating the dates with all their events and due dates. Also, introduce kids to the idea of checklists—it’s so rewarding to tick off the “done” boxes.

Create daily routines

This way they’ll know what to do even when you’re not around to remind them.

• In the morning, this could be: Make the bed, shower, get dressed, eat breakfast, brush teeth, put lunchbox in backpack, and double-check school supplies.
• Account for days they come straight home from school versus those where they arrive home later, after an after-school club or other activity.
• Either way, make sure to have a regular homework routine (page 256).
• Include practice time for extracurricular activities, such as shooting hoops or playing an instrument (outside of the activities themselves).
• Also include when to do chores, such as taking out the trash or emptying the dishwasher, before or after dinner.

Promote night-before prep

Remember to model this important organizing principle as an example.

• Always make sure homework is put in the right folder and all school supplies are tucked in the backpack.
• Have any gear ready for after-school activities.
• Pick out the next day’s clothes, socks, and shoes—including all accessories.

3. Hone good study habits

It’s never too early to teach children the tools and techniques for self-discipline. Even toddlers can pick up good habits with a little patience and persistence.

Create a study zone

The goal is to set up your child for success, both while in school and for a lifetime.

• Carve out space and furnish the desk area with shelves or open storage units to house homework supplies—and have your child help you sort and label everything to avoid the “where’s my paper?” conundrum.
• Teach your kid to always study in this space (rather than sprawled out on the floor, for instance, unless he’s working on a special project).
• Don’t allow distracting gadgets and games to infiltrate this dedicated space. Computers are fine as study aids only.

Devise a homework routine

Work with your child to establish a daily schedule.

• Pick the same hour each day, allowing for extracurricular activities.
• Agree that they will respect that hour even when there’s no homework—read a book, write in a journal, do word puzzles, or learn about a new person, place, or thing.
• You could even pick a topic each month to focus on—geography, for example, researching different continents and countries, followed by art history.

Do a daily backpack check

Have your child empty his backpack first thing upon entering the door after school.

• Set up a system for putting new homework in one bin or tray and permission slips or other parental to-dos in another (or clipped to the refrigerator door).
• Put any graded paper-work in a designated binder; at the end of the year you can label it with the year and file away.
• They should also note any dates in their own planner and add those to the family calendar (or have you do that).

Have a weekly check-in

It’s easy for kids with busy schedules to get off track; do your part to help.

• Over the weekend, go through your child’s planner and binders together to make sure everything is organized.
• If the school has an online portal, be sure to check that each week and discuss anything that seems out of order (like missing homework assignments or poor class participation).