Helping Your Child Be More Organized

SEPTEMBER 10,2016 Natalie Dean, Center Director, Huntington Learning Center

Good study habits and organizational skills can mean the difference between a
successful student and a poor performer. Here are a few tips to help your child
become a more organized student:

Establish a homework routine. Studies show that set routines and schedules are
positive for children. Your after-school and evening routine should include a set
time for homework, dinner, extracurricular activities and bedtime.

Make use of a planner, homework notebook or planner app. One of the most
common issues with disorganized students is not that the students are incapable of
doing homework, but rather, they forget or lose track of what they are supposed to
work on each evening. Your child should have a simple notebook in which to write
down the following—each and every day:

Make checklists. Introduce routines for all chores and tasks in your household and
create checklists to help your child get familiar with the necessary steps. This also
will help your child become more independent and confident and give him or her a
sense of responsibility and fulfillment.

Make tidying up a nightly activity. Every study or homework session should be
followed by five minutes of putting away supplies, straightening the desk and
getting the backpack ready for the next day. Get your child into the habit of
finishing each homework period this way.

Effective organization is an asset that will help your child as a student and a person
throughout his or her life. Work on this skill at home and talk with your child’s
teacher about the specific areas that seem to need the most improvement. As your
child embraces this skill, studying and homework will become much more fluid
processes—and your child will have the tools to be a more independent, successful
student.

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Huntington is the tutoring and test prep leader. Its certified tutors provide
individualized instruction in reading, phonics, writing, study skills, elementary and
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programs develop the skills, confidence, and motivation to help students succeed
and meet the needs of Common Core State Standards. Founded in 1977,
Huntington’s mission is to give every student the best education possible.
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