If it’s happened once, it’s happened a hundred times…
As usual, you’ve spent the entire morning in a chaotic rush, struggling to get your kids out the door on time. Amid frustrated shouts, empty threats, and maybe even a few tears, you make it to the school drop-off line by the skin of your teeth.
As you catch your breath, you ask yourself the same recurring question: “Why does every morning feel like a battle against the clock?”
Believe me, you’re not alone! In all my years as a parenting educator, I’ve met countless exasperated parents seeking the secret to teaching their kids time management.
The truth is, managing time wisely is tough–even for adults! So it’s no surprise that our kids find it challenging, too. But if you feel like you’re stuck in a losing battle, think again–hope is not lost.
All you need is a little guidance in the right direction.
So, if you’re ready to make daily routines smoother and prepare your child for success, keep reading. I’m about to share the best strategies for teaching your kids one of life’s most essential skills–time management!
The Life-Changing Benefits of Time Management Skills for Kids
At its core, teaching time management involves helping your kids navigate and organize their daily schedules efficiently. It’s a crucial skill that kids need to learn because they won’t always have you there to manage it for them–nor should they!
When you teach your kids the importance of productivity, prioritization, and decision-making, you’re equipping them with essential life skills that will lead to a strong sense of accomplishment and independence. Not only is this an incredible mental health booster, but it can also reduce stress (especially for teens) and give them a much-needed sense of agency over their lives.
But at what age should you start teaching these skills to your kids? And how can you make an even more significant impact throughout the years?
Let’s dive in to find out!
For Littles: Learning Daily Time Management
It’s never too late to teach your child time management skills, but the sooner you begin, the better. You can start laying the groundwork for good time management habits with children as young as preschoolers.
The trick is to start with the essential daily tasks.
Create Daily Routines
To start, consider your child’s most basic daily schedules (like morning and bedtime) and create a specific routine for each one. Using a “When-Then” format can help establish these routines, ensuring they fit perfectly into a scheduled time slot.
Imagine your four-year-old frequently gets distracted before bedtime. Every night turns into a struggle, with you constantly reminding him to get ready for bed while also facing resistance when it’s time to turn off the lights.
To help you establish a good bedtime routine, use a “When-Then” format.
When your pajamas are on, your teeth are brushed, and clothes are picked out for the morning, then whatever time is left is for reading and snuggling.
This simple phrasing lets him know that in order to get to the fun stuff (reading and snuggles), he must first do the essentials (pajamas, teeth brushing, and picking out clothes).
This approach can also be applied to your child’s morning routine. For example, if your six-year-old daughter tends to dawdle while getting ready for school, it can lead to a lot of stress, frustration, and sometimes even tears from both of you as you hurry out the door.
That’s when you embrace the power of “When-Then!”
When you’ve eaten your breakfast, brushed your teeth, and made your bed, then we can use our remaining time before school to have a fun morning dance party!
She’ll be happy to have some special, fun time with you before school, you’ll be relieved not to remind her to hurry up constantly, and you’ll both enjoy a calm, unhurried car ride to school for a change.
Make Time Visible
Time is an abstract concept, making it hard for little minds to comprehend fully. You might tell your three-year-old that there are only five minutes left before leaving for preschool, but she doesn’t understand what that means.
For little kids to understand time, they have to see it! This is why utilizing tools like a visual timer instead of a countdown is essential.
When kids can see time, they can manage it!
Now comes the magic part–combining both strategies!
By establishing daily routines with a “When-Then” format and pairing them with the use of a visual timer, you create the ideal formula for successful time management.
Will your child finish their “must-dos” with enough visible time left for fun, or will they drag their feet and realize how much time they wasted? Either way, they’ll learn a valuable lesson, and you’ll all be on the path to better, more efficient time management in the future.
For Bigs: Add in Weekly Planning
As your kids transition from littles to bigs–typically around the upper elementary school age–it’s time to increase their responsibility for managing time. Once they’ve mastered handling their daily calendars, you can incorporate weekly planning into their time management routine.
One of the best ways to start is by purchasing them a brand-new planner. (Bonus points if you let them pick it out!)
Buy Them a Planner
There’s something about opening a fresh new planner that ignites the motivation to organize your time more effectively. It’s a fantastic tool for adults, and older kids can also benefit from using a physical planner.
This doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated. A simple planner where they can write in all their week’s activities will work perfectly.
To start training them on weekly time management, encourage them to write down both their daily and weekly tasks. This can include their family contributions, school work, extracurriculars, and more. When they can visually see everything on their agenda, it’s easier for them to grasp how to manage it.
Turn Time Management into a Lifelong Habit
If you want a new skill to stick, you must make it a habit. And, like any new habit, effective time management will take some time to become second nature–for you and your kids.
Of course, some habits take longer than others to develop, so stay patient and keep encouraging each other while staying focused on the end goal. To keep up the momentum, here are a few ways you can help foster the time management habit in your child.
Display Your Daily Routines
Visual reminders are a powerful way to reinforce time management skills, especially with daily routines. You can tailor your approach depending on your child’s age.
For young children who can’t read yet, use pictures to represent the routine they need to follow. Do you want your child to make their bed each morning? Brush their teeth? Use images to remind your pre-reader what needs to be done each morning and in what order.
For older kids, simply write the routine down in a place they are sure to look at it. Perhaps on the refrigerator as they make their morning breakfast or above the shoe bin on their way out the door?
Schedule Weekly Check-Ins
Set aside time each week to check in with your child on how they’re managing their schedule and routines. Treat this time as a non-negotiable appointment that keeps you both accountable and connected.
You may be thinking, Sure, Amy, easy for you to say. But that’s just one more thing to add to my already busy schedule.
Don’t worry–this check-in doesn’t have to take much time.
Maybe it’s a small chunk of time tacked onto your Family Meeting, a bedtime conversation during nightly tuck-ins, or an on-the-go car meeting every Monday. It may sound like this:
Hey bud, I know the science project is worth 30% of your grade. How long do you have scheduled to get everything done?
Or…
You have a few more Family Contributions to cover now that you’re thirteen. How long do you think the extra work will take you? Want to pencil that into your planner?
By keeping the tone supportive rather than nagging, these brief check-ins reassure your child that you’re there if they need you. This approach can ease their anxiety and overwhelm while still allowing them a sense of agency and control over their own lives.
Remember, turning this into a lasting habit is essential, so choose a time that feels manageable and enjoyable for you both!
(Lovingly) Let Them Fail
Once your child is competent in weekly planning, it’s time to step back and let them take charge.
Now, the ball is in their court! If they don’t take the proper time to plan or follow the plan, they’ll experience a natural consequence— and gain a valuable lesson for next time. Of course, this isn’t the time to piggyback with an I-told-you-so moment, but instead, kindly help to learn from their failure to manage their time properly.
Letting them stumble now–under your loving guidance–is far better than down the road when the stakes are much higher.
Cater Time Management to Different Learning Styles
It’s no secret that every child learns differently, so it’s important to customize your approach to teaching time management based on what suits them best. After all, we adults sometimes need help remembering things, so why wouldn’t our kids?
Consider how your child learns best. Are they a visual learner who benefits from seeing a daily checklist or written plan? Or are they an auditory learner who excels by using alarms or Alexa to manage their time effectively?
No matter the style of learner your child is, rest assured there are plenty of tools and resources they can use to make managing their time a breeze.
Final Thoughts:
Above all, remember that time management is a skill to be learned, and your role as a parent is to partner with your child in developing it. Help them establish solid routines, prioritize the must-dos over the want-to-dos, and show them how to break big, daunting tasks into manageable steps.
With effort from both of you, what may feel impossible at first will soon become a well-formed habit.
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