When a child is still small, we parents plan everything for him. We set tasks for him, suggest steps to complete, give instructions on how to do it right, control the process.
This process can be put on paper in the form of a plan. If the child has not yet reached school age, then the plan can be drawn, or a fun application can be made so that the baby understands what is required of him. Younger students partially cope with this task on their own, but to a greater extent they need the help of their parents.
Why should a child instill the skill of planning, when everything is clear and understandable that the day is planned in advance? He attends kindergarten or school every day. Mom takes him to preparatory courses. Dancing, gymnastics, music, hockey, football — this is an approximate daily routine for a child. But at the same time, parents often say that the child does not cope well with morning procedures, is late for school, and in the evening it is difficult to send him to bed on time. Difficulties also arise with organizing order, maintaining a clean workplace, and controlling emotions.
Initially, the to-do list is intended for parents. But when a child sees how we make a plan for the day, he acquires a skill that he will use in the future for his needs. At the first stage, he only gets acquainted with the planning of affairs for the day, week. Then he is involved in the process of compiling cases. The child is a full partner in developing tasks for the day. Gradually, he learns to organize his time without the help of his parents.
For greater efficiency, it is better to break the to-do list into parts — morning, lunch, evening.
The list of things to do in the morning is best discussed in advance with the child. Together, determine the order of actions, the time of execution, in order to be in time for school. According to the requirements, create a checklist and hang it in a conspicuous place. At first, mother reminds without direct instructions about the sequence of affairs in the morning. The case that the child performs, the child crosses out from the list or puts a tick. You can set a timer so that the child feels the time to complete. For example, 8-10 minutes to exercise, 2 minutes to brush your teeth, 5 minutes to check your briefcase, get dressed. Within three weeks, the child develops an independent skill for performing tasks.
School takes time from morning to afternoon. This time is clearly allocated with the help of a diary. Some children often forget to fill in the diary or do not want to, because in the evening they can call a friend / girlfriend to find out their homework. In this case, reminders in the form of stickers on textbooks and an incentive system will help.
Things for the evening are sorted by priority: homework, preparing a briefcase, things for tomorrow, doing housework, evening ritual. The main principle is that all cases are closed until 21.00. The action plan, deadlines are also discussed with the child. To make it easier for the child to start, it is best to start with easy tasks.
For example, after completing homework, the child needs to clean his workplace. Making the first steps:
— We decide which items remain on the table, which are sent to the box.
— We distribute notebooks to notebooks, books to books, pencils are sent to a glass for pencils, colored paper, cardboard — to a folder.
— Above the table we attach a photo of what the table looks like, put in order.
After a couple of weeks, the child will not have to be reminded to clean his desk. The little man has developed this skill through planning.
To-do list for the evening: the responsibilities of the child around the house are discussed in advance (from one to four tasks per day). How long will it take to complete? When will the job be done? The list of tasks indicates the deadlines: time, day of completion of this task. The child marks with a tick — completed / did not complete. If completed, we praise, we support the excitement in completing tasks. If not fulfilled, negotiations are underway. Perhaps he encountered difficulties in the process of implementation. We find out, we help to overcome them.
Proper planning is the key to success. The plan can always be changed, adjusted depending on the acquired skills of the child.
How to deal with this task more effectively? Group classes are ten times more motivating than working alone. At the children’s distance, we develop the skill of planning so that the morning is sunny and cheerful, and the evening is pleasant and warm with the family. A regular schedule of classes, feedback from the coach every day, support from colleagues are a powerful incentive to develop and keep up with other children.