Tried-and-True Methods for Shifting Time-Management Responsibility to Your Child
Are you still waking up your teen? Or does your teen do it without your help?
If you’re the one rousing your teen from bed, it’s clear your student has not taken responsibility for managing time. It also indicates anxious parents are acting like alarm clocks and providing way too many reminders and cues.
This is so important to change, and it’s usually a surprisingly easy fix.
Words to Live by for Parents
“Don’t do for students what they can do for themselves.”
Time management was the subject of a June 11 workshop I conducted with the wonderful Amy Morgenstern, Blue Star Admissions College Counselor and Consultant extraordinaire. We were excited to collaborate on this workshop because over our many years in practice we have helped students see the importance of learning to manage their own time. We emphasize how to prioritize, plan, use calendars, and rely on a watch or clock to get up. (Why not a phone, you ask? I’ll get to that.)
It’s really pretty simple. Students can wake up on their own and get to school . . . or accept the consequences: embarrassment for walking in late, missing directions for the start of a test, or being forced to attend the school’s “Breakfast Club.”
How can teens learn time management? They need to be shown what tools to use, how to use them, and have the opportunity to practice.
So, why no phone for an alarm? Because students need to take their phones out of their rooms and park them far, far away. I mean it. Buy an alarm clock, get a watch, or use the sun.
Takeaways From the Webinar
- Have a family weekly meeting where everyone brings their planners. Talk through what’s coming and when. Share what you have planned for the family or individuals.
- Have students let you know their schedule, particularly any friend meet-ups or summer job schedules. Ask that they share these events using Google Calendar so they show up on your calendar, too.
- If your teen needs practice with Google Calendar, model first, then have your student practice with you, then with a prompt, and then independently.
- If teens need supplies for school, let them know how much notice you need. You want to avoid last-minute trips to the store for poster board!
- Have students identify the best times of day to do tasks and summer assignments.
- Minimize early morning decision making. Students should shower, pick out clothes, and plan breakfast the night before. That’s also a good time to have them prep backpacks or sports equipment bags to avoid last-minute stress.
Watch the Webinar!
Watch a recording of our June 11 webinar.
SOS4Students Can Help
Our student summer workshops ALL model the practice of important skills such as time management and introduce tools and techniques that are gamechangers in organization, note taking, and prioritizing.
- For Middle Schoolers, enroll in Middle School Blitz (grades 7 & 8).
- Entering High school? Nailing Ninth Grade is your ticket.
- For High Schoolers, don’t miss Executive Brain Bootcamp.
Executive Function Workshops
Do you have a student making the big shift from middle school or high school?
- Mastering Middle School (rising grade 6)
- Nailing Ninth (rising grade 9)
Could your student benefit from essential study skills strategies?
- Middle School Blitz (rising grades 7-8)
- Executive Brain Boot Camp (rising grades 10-12)
Did your student not get enough writing instruction this past year?
- Write On (rising grades 7-8)
- Writing RX (rising grades 9-12)
Does your student struggle with effective note taking?
- Take Note (rising grades 7-8)
- Secrets of Successful Note taking (rising grades 9-12)
Do you have a 4th or 5th grader who needs study strategies and a fun, interactive way to learn about the executive brain?
- NEW! Junior Executive Brain Boot Camp (rising 4th and 5th graders)
Workshop Bundles
Interested in multiple workshops for your student -or- do you have multiple children who could benefit from a workshop? Fill out our Bundle Workshop Form today and we’ll follow up with information on ways you can save on tuition. Build Your Bundle Now ›
Private Workshops
With 30-days’ notice. SOS4Students can create a private workshop for small groups of students who are friends/classmates (minimum group size is four). This is ideal if your students can’t attend one of our scheduled workshops on the dates scheduled. Private summer workshops are help Monday through Friday. Contact us for more information and pricing.
Student Workshop FAQs › Cancellation and Refund Policy ›
Work With an SOS4Students Coach This Summer
Book now for summer coaching with SOS4Students. We can help with time management, tracking work and planning, and ways to jumpstart reading, note taking, test prep, and writing papers.