By now we are fully enmeshed in the swing of school and after school activities: Homework, sports and play dates — and then getting up early enough to do it all over again the next day.
It can be challenging to constantly remind our children about deadlines and upcoming events. We can give them a sense of control by teaching the value of time, how to break big projects down and create a time management system.
Helping kids develop time management habits is a gift that keeps giving.
Effective time management is useful to get things done in a timely manner, but it is also a key tool to control stress.
When everything “seems like fun” or there’s “fear of missing out,” it is easy to quickly become overcommitted. It can be frustrating when our children don’t have a clear ability to prioritize or respond to tasks in a timely fashion. The truth is, they just don’t have those skills yet, in large part because they are still developing. Don’t panic, but the frontal lobe (which is the part of the brain used for higher-level executive function) isn’t fully developed until a person is around 25 years old.
But we can help teach them a foundation of time-management skills now and set them up for positive decision-making around the use of their time. Take the long view on this one: They may not get it every time, but it is worth the effort.
Time management skills may not come naturally to kids, so they need adult guidance. (Stock photo)
Time as an essential resource
The term “resource” is often used to define physical things that can be drawn upon when needed — money, gold, oil, etc. But what about time? It may be a new idea for tweens and teens that their time is also a resource, and in fact, one of their most important finite resources.
Helping children be thoughtful about how they spend their time forms a foundation for making decisions about what to do and not to do. Thinking about using your time also helps children decide when to say “no” to something.
Time management tip: Break up big projects
Time-management skills are also helpful when it comes to daunting, huge projects. Whether it’s a presentation, an essay or preparing for a test, feeling overwhelmed by big projects makes it so much harder to get started. Learning how to break up a big project into smaller bite-sized chunks is a skill for children and adults alike.
Tackling small pieces of a big project takes away the sense of panic and creates opportunities for success as the smaller pieces are accomplished. This works in middle school, high school, college and beyond.
Kids and time management: DIY system
You will get more buy-in if kids come up with their own system to organize and manage their time. The last thing we want to do as parents is to constantly nag them. It’s not fun and it doesn’t help them learn how to do it. Talk about different time-management systems — whether it is a calendar app, notes app or a paper planner. Have them give it a try.
It may take a few goes to get the right system, but building this habit can help for a lifetime. It is also helpful to work together with your kids weekly to plan out the broad-brushstrokes for the week.
Time management can give teens and tweens more control over their time and remove some of the stress of deciding between two competing tasks or events. Eventually, building these skills will not only allow them to manage their own time but prioritize what they really want to be doing with that time, whether it’s time with friends, sports, creative pursuits or play.
More from Dr. Block and Kaiser Permanente in Seattle’s Child:
