The giant and I are embarking on a new adventure together. Up until recently, his dad was responsible for “all things school.”

That has changed… and it’s a frustrating adventure for us both as I try to teach him the study skills that I was born with apparently. Yes… I’m a nerd.

Me? I would gladly spend hours pouring myself into my books and learning the material. I’d still do that to this day if not for, you know, life… bills… R-E-S-P-O-N-S-I-B-I-L-I-T-I-E-S.

Giant on the other hand… he’s a doer. His learning style is completely opposite from mine. He can NOT just read the material and absorb it. And that is PERFECTLY OK! but with his desire to always be doing and his overly active mind, we had to come up with a new way to focus his mind on the tasks that have to be done. A skill I’m sure will benefit him in life as well as school.

I’m saddened that these skills are not taught in the public schools ’round here but I also understand how taxed our teachers are.

That’s where lists have helped us tremendously.

When I first told the Giant to make a list of everything he needed to do, I got a total “deer in the headlights” look of confusion. It was as if I was speaking Greek to him. As such, I thought I’d share a few tips that have helped us along the way.

Tips for a successful To Do List

{for your child}

(1) Make your list:

Start by going through each subject your child has and making a list of the homework or other projects, assignments, tests etc. for each class.  Yes, this could get lengthy quick if you have a middle or high school student but by including due dates for assignments, you can make it more manageable.

(2) Number your list:

I like to have Giant assign numbers based on level of enjoyment – meaning what is he most dreading first and going down from there.

(3) Estimate the time:

This is a difficult one but it’s important to try to guesstimate the amount of time needed to complete the task.  That book report?  Yeah, that’s gonna take longer than the vocabulary homework.

(4) Discuss a plan:

This is where our kids need our help to decide what they tackle and when.  What has worked well for us is to start with the item he’s most dreading first.  Then after that is complete, moving on to a task he isn’t dreading or one that will take the least amount of time to do.

(5) Gather materials:

This is two fold in our house – first making sure we have everything needed – graph paper, pencils, pens, dictionary, textbook – whatever to complete all of the days tasks.  Second, it’s relocating all the materials that we DON’T need – cell phones, ipods, etc.  This helps to minimize distractions.  Same is true for potty breaks and getting something to drink.

(6) Set a timer:

Asking any child to sit still until every item on the list is complete is overkill and sets you both up for disaster.  You will have to learn what your child can and cannot handle and make those adjustments.  For us, we work one subject at a time and then take a break.  Sometimes though, if the homework load is light, we can knock out several assignments in one sitting before taking a break.

(7) Remain available:

There is a delicate balance between hovering and being available I’ve found.  We need to let our kids learn how to function on their own, but sometimes they don’t know how to ask for help and just stay stuck.  Periodic check-ins will help you to learn where you are needed and where you are not.

(8) Be consistent:

Structure and routines have always helped in our house.  For us, when we get home from school there is a break before we dive into homework.  This gives both of us time to get a snack, check out phones one last time, and generally decompress for a bit before we tackle homework.  Then we sit down at the kitchen table and work until dinner is ready.  After dinner, we finish up the last of the homework and once it passes my standards, the rest of the evening is free time.  That’s kind of the light at the end of the tunnel for Giant.  He knows that once his homework is done, there’s TV time or phone time or whatever…but he can’t rush through it because if it’s wrong or sloppy, he gets to do it over.

(9) Be Patient:

yeah… I suck at that too… but we have to remember that, like learning to speak a foreign language, this will take time.  There will be missed assignments.  There will be meltdowns.  (from you and your child) so be patient with each other.

Those are the tips that work for me.  I don’t presume to know your house or children so can’t promise that this will help your kiddo take his class average from a 13(!!!!) to a passing grade… hypothetically speaking of course… but I can tell you it’s helping us.

Are there any tips I may have missed?  Do you make to do lists with your kids?  Share your input in the comments below!

Want to join in? Check out the prompts for the rest of the month and link up whenever one inspires you!