Children today are so different. They are busier because of the increased demands at school. But aside from this, children today are also more involved in various extracurricular activities. This is the result of a vastly different view about intelligence. Knowledge gained in school is just part of what children should be exposed to. In order to be completely well-rounded, various activities outside the school should also be included in their routine.
What this ultimately means is that children are so much busier now. As parents, it is not just our duty to enroll them in these activities and to find the money to support it. It is also our duty to make sure that their time is well managed. And this can be difficult especially if piled on top of our own responsibilities. Here are tips that you can follow to better manage your kids’ time.
Put up an activities calendar
Making a calendar of activities is the best way for you to keep track of your kid’s school and extracurricular activities. This is especially effective if your child has a lot of activities to juggle both inside and outside his school, while you’re juggling your own activities at work and at home at the same time. Place the calendar in a prominent area where everyone can see it. Tell your kids to list down their meetings, classes, performances and practices on the calendar. Put down your own schedules at work and at home on the calendar too. By putting the family’s activities on the calendar, you’ll have a better picture of how certain days stack up. If a particular day is very loaded then you can be forewarned and be able to have the time to juggle your schedule around.
Set limits
You can’t say yes to all of the things your children get interested in. There are some kids who get interested in one thing at a time – martial arts this month, then basketball the following month. But there are also kids who want to do everything at the same time. There is nothing wrong with this but it can have a great impact on your kids if their time is not managed well. Always remember that school and the family should always be their priority. If all of the activities will begin having a negative effect on his scholastic performance or his interactions with the family then put your foot down and tell them that their extracurricular activities should be lessened.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help
Scheduling conflicts cannot be avoided. There will be times when an important football practice will run right smack into an important appointment. When this happens, don’t be afraid to ask for help. You can ask a relative or a friend to bring your kid to practice.
Image from sitemaker.umich.edu