GETTING out of bed and off to school can be challenging for any child, which can end up falling on the parent.
One mother has figured out how to get her daughter’s educational matters in order and ready to seize the day.
Redditor Nitenicole explained her process in a comment on Reddit.
She said her daughter’s disorganization is “not a discipline issue.”
Nitenicole shared her tips for helping a gifted child improve at executive functioning.
“[My kid has] been in gifted since first grade, has been reading at the top end of the Lexile for a few years, wins writing contests, science fairs, spelling bees, and plays an instrument,” she said.
“She also needs to write her name on everything that goes to school and she has four lunchboxes — name and phone number written in Sharpie outside.
“She’s gotten much better about jackets and lunch boxes.”
Nitenicole recommended getting a back-up supply of school items that are easily lost.
“Get more than one lunch box,” she said, advising the parent of a 10-year-old boy. “Get one that can attach to his backpack.
“Get him an ‘important papers’ folder and tell him to just put all his paperwork he gets throughout the day into that.
“Then remind him at night to go through it and sort things into subjects and give you anything you need.
“Help him build the habit, have him do homework in a common area, get him to pull everything out of the backpack every day.”
She also recommended giving children gentle reminders to aid them in learning how to be more organized, rather than punishing them off the bat.
“Remind him to sort things into the right folders and notebooks, and then remind him to put them away,” she said.”Do it in the same order every time.
“Remind him to write all of his assignments and activities and due dates onto a calendar.
“And for a few weeks, check behind him and make sure the dates are actually right. My daughter is great at transposing numbers.”
She said that when it comes to raising a child, it’s about guiding them instead of scolding them.
“You can’t just tell him to try harder, you have to help him come up with really basic, simple habits that will carry him through,” she wrote.
“An extra 10 to 15 minutes of unloading the backpack, sorting the paperwork, [and] putting everything away will make a world of difference.”
Nitenicole’s advice resonated with one school teacher.
“I’m a middle school teacher and I think your suggestions are absolutely spot on. I’ve recommended these things to many kids over the years,” they said.
