Think back to when you were a child. Did your parents set up a schedule with a set of tasks? It’s likely they told you that you needed to do some chores, and make sure your homework was complete. But, most kids didn’t have a rigid schedule. They did what they were supposed to do and they were free to do whatever they wanted after that.
Habits form early in life. Getting kids to learn how to manage their time will go a long way for them later. If they learn how to adhere to the tasks given to them now, with predefined time frames, it will become part of their routines. It will seem natural for them to do the same when they are adults.
This is not to say parents should load up their kids’ schedules with nothing but boring tasks and chores. Kids need to have fun. Let them have fun, but include it as part of the schedule. This can be a great way to get them to go outside more, and use video games less.
The schedule for kids should be created in a collaborative manner. Of course, kids will try to add as many fun activities as possible, while parents will likely focus more on the not-so-fun activities. This can be a great way to teach kids how to negotiate. It’s all about compromises, and the final schedule will be something both the parents and kids will be happy with, more or less.
You can reward your kids who stick with the time management approach, by adding extra leisure time. This time should still be negotiated. If some kids are not as successful, it’s your call if you want to add more of the not-so-fun activities. It’s unclear whether this will be effective. It may be best just not to give them more leisure activities, and try to work with them to do better going forward.
The process of setting up time management for kids is likely to change as you work with it. Your kids will let you know what they like about it or which parts need improvement. Again, this is a give-and-take process and teaches kids valuable skills that they can use for the rest of their lives. It will help them when they get to college as well as when they begin their careers. It can also help in their day-to-day personal lives by accomplishing their goals outside of work.
– Scott Blessing