11 Steps to Teach Kids Time Management Effectively

Time management is an essential skill that not everyone acquires. It is the process of organizing and planning how to divide your time between a set of activities. It takes a lot of practice and patience to learn how to complete your everyday tasks on time. 

Time management is important because it helps you to work smart. Without it, there would be chaos in your daily schedule, and everything would go out of hand. Children do not know how time works therefore they are unable to manage which of the things have to be done first. By teaching them how to manage time, they will grow up having less stress and they can become more successful in their life plans.  

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Teach your kids time management while they are still young.

How do you teach kids to manage their time?

1. Make time management enjoyable. Adults have to manage their time all the time. And sometimes it is quite stressful to do so especially if you did not manage them well. When teaching kids how to manage time, make it fun. You can make their daily routine turn into a game and see who can finish them first. Kids are eager to learn more when they are having fun. The more they enjoy, the more they will easily learn to understand the importance of time and how to manage it well.

2. Start them young. No matter how old your kids are, you can always teach them this skill. The earlier you start, the easier it will be for them to make it into a habit. You can teach preschoolers by letting them complete simple tasks like keeping toys away, brushing their teeth and others. Children at the secondary level can begin with managing their homework or you could make them do some easy household chores such as watering the plants and the likes. 

3. Teach them how to measure time. Not all kids who know how to read time know how to measure time. Teach them how by setting a timer for every task that they need to do. Place it where they can see it, and give them verbal countdown as minutes pass by. This will teach them that every minute counts. 

4. Create a family calendar. A family calendar is a calendar where everyone in the household writes their commitments. Let the whole family be involved when creating a family calendar so that everyone is aware of who commits at a time in a day each day. Make it in a big banner paper where everyone can help design and color. Assign a color for each person so that it would be easy for them to locate theirs. This way, the kids could monitor their schedules.

   

   (Photo : pexels/Bich Tran)
   Create a colorful family calendar.
   
   

5. Create calendars for each member. Apart from being in a family calendar, each child should have his own so that he can keep it in his room and he may add any special detail to help him manage his time. Encourage your kids to use their calendars to monitor their tasks and cross out those that they have completed. 

6. Stick with the schedule. Sometimes it is hard to stick to your schedule especially if you see them enjoying their time. But it is important to stay on track to encourage your kids to effectively manage their time.

7. Do not overschedule. Sometimes parents tend to make their kids' schedules jam-packed. However, this only defeats its purpose. When scheduling, make sure that there is some break time for them to breathe. 

8. Give them free time. Part of their schedule should include free time. This way they can get to do what they want to do and they can relax a bit. A good time management skill involves time to play.

   

   (Photo : pexels/Sharon McCutcheon)
   Allow the kids to help design and color the family calendar.
   
   

9. Use kid-friendly tools. There are lots of apps or colorful calendars that can be used. The best to do is to use tools that are appealing to the kids. You can also let them make and decorate their calendar. This way they will be more eager to use them. 

10. Give rewards. Rewards can help motivate your kids to do their best. Reward them if they did great. It could be done on a weekly or monthly basis. Be sure to make your rewards creative. You can give them more family time as a reward -- family movie nights, or date nights. It would be better to make the rewards into a time spent with the family. 

11. Help establish priorities. Smaller children still do not understand prioritization. Help them organize their daily schedule using first, second and last. This way, they would learn which ones need to be done the soonest, followed by the second, and then the last. For example, they should know that upon waking up, they should first head to the shower, eat their breakfast, brush their teeth, and so on. You can make them decide on the least important plans so help them learn.

Teaching your children how to manage their time wisely will go a long way. Start them young, and begin prioritizing small plans until such time that they will understand and get a full grasp of their time every day. Soon after, they will master time management skills without a physical calendar with them.