Get Organized For School by Donna Goldberg

Learn these two main ingredients of academic organization—and your child can use them to ace the school year.

A school-age child is a busy child. Along with academic and social demands, she’s probably also juggling extracurricular activities, playdates and sleepovers, and, oh yes, family responsibilities. On top of all this, she’s expected to bring home assignments and the right books, remember to grab her jacket from the bus, do her homework daily, and put away her toys without being asked. Such hectic schedules and high expectations can be overwhelming, especially for children who don’t have organizational skills.

It’s hard for any child to get and stay organized. But for kids with AD/HD, whose ability to organize, prioritize, and manage time is affected by neurological deficiencies, the challenges are far greater. That’s where you come in. By working with your child to build organizational skills and create and maintain a personalized system, you can help her gain control at home and at school.

AD/HD or no AD/HD, organization is not an innate skill. Children must learn to manage and maintain systems. Consider yourself your child’s consultant. She should be engaged in the process, so involve her in every step and allow her to make choices and decisions. Help your child practice her skills on a regular basis, and follow through with the systems you create together.

Organization for school has two major components:

• Time management—how your child keeps up with homework assignments, activities, and appointments.
• Paper flow and management—how papers move to and from school and what your child does with these papers now and later.

Because time management is the more challenging, especially for a child with AD/HD, that’s where we’ll start.

ON TIME
In my 15 years as an organizational coach, I’ve learned that understanding and managing time is a huge part of being organized. The concept of time is difficult for children to master, especially in our digital world. Schools and parents teach kids how to use a calendar and read a clock, but by fourth, fifth, and even sixth grade, some children still haven’t mastered these skills. Older elementary-school students are expected to be somewhat independent and manage a large school workload, long-term assignments, and extended projects—next-to-impossible tasks for a child who doesn’t grasp time.

Understanding sequence
Children learn about time from an early age. Initially, toddlers are exposed to sequence and routine: First you have a bath, then you have a story, then you go to sleep. Eventually, sequences include the concept of before and after: Before dinner you will take a bath; after a story, you will go to sleep. In kindergarten and first grade, the teacher puts up a daily schedule and uses words and pictures to review it. The concept of time expands to include days of the week, months, and seasons.

By second grade, students are introduced to the clock and are taught to tell time. The clock is reviewed again in third grade—and then time education comes to an end. At this point we expect children to infer that calendars and clocks can be used to determine the sequence of events and create routines. We also expect that children will translate their understanding of time into responsible planning. Unfortunately, many kids, particularly those with AD/HD, do not make these leaps and are lost in school because of it.

You can help your child by reinforcing these concepts at home. Make sequence clear to him by giving specific verbal cues— first, next, then, before, after —as you develop a routine. Ask questions: What comes next? Do you remember what you did first? Reinforce sequence comprehension by giving a series of directions using these verbal cues. Make it fun (“First do ten jumping jacks, then write your name backwards”) and have your child give you directions as well. Tell him that you are doing this to help him learn how to listen carefully and pick up on important words that tell us what order to do things in. Ask him to point out words that are related to time. A child who masters the concept of sequence will be better able to organize and prioritize tasks.

Concepts of before and after eventually develop into yesterday, today, and tomorrow, and develop further into past, present, and future. Again, as your child learns these concepts, support them at home. Talk about future vacation plans or reminisce about his last birthday party.

Week by week
I also suggest using a weekly calendar to help children learn the days of the week as well as the concepts of yesterday, tomorrow, and so on. The weekly format works best because children tend to live in the present. A monthly calendar is equivalent to informational overload, but a week’s view is easier to grasp and can still be used to teach larger concepts.

Fill in the dates on the calendar at the beginning of each week. At the top write the month in name and its number (October = 10th month). Next to each day, write the numerical month and day (Monday, 10/24). You want your child to make associations quickly and not have to count 10 months from January on his fingers.

The calendar offers a multisensory learning opportunity: It is a visual record of activities, it works kinesthetically as you and your child write down and cross off activities, and it prompts auditory reinforcement as you talk about the day’s events. One person should write everyone’s (parents’ and children’s) schedule each week—appointments, dinners, soccer practice, and so on. At the end of each day, have your child cross off completed activities as you say, “Today is over.” Then discuss the next day’s activities as you emphasize, “This is what we’ll do tomorrow, Friday.”

By the end of first grade, your child should know the names and sequence of the days of the week. He should also know what days come before and after any day you name. As your child grows, the calendar will help him develop other skills, like accountability. He can see when you will or will not be available to help with a project, and can plan accordingly and assume responsibility for himself.

Watch the clock
In addition to calendar time, children must understand clock time. Digital clocks present time as a static present-tense thing, greatly affecting kids’ ability to conceive of and gauge time. Analog clocks show that time moves—and let a child know where she stands in relation to the rest of the hour or the rest of the day. We need to reintroduce analog clocks so children can “see” time and learn to place events in context.

Practice telling time with your child at home. Ask her for a different way to say 6:45 (a quarter to seven). Point out that the clock numbers 12 to 6 relate to after the hour, while 6 to 12 relate to before. Reinforce ideas like this over and over so your child can gain ownership of clock time.

Plan by the book
Another essential time-management tool is a plan book. Just like adults, children need a place to keep track of deadlines, appointments, and other information. A planner will help your child manage all she has to remember—assignments, team practice, birthday parties—and also enter her class schedule, a friend’s number to call for homework clarification, and a detailed description of homework and due dates. The most effective book will have the same format as the teacher’s planner. Help your child go over her planner regularly. With guidance, she can learn to write down all homework deadlines and avoid last-minute cramming and unpleasant surprises.

Time for assignments
Schools assume that by fourth grade a child’s understanding of time and sequencing has translated into the ability to manage a daily schedule and homework. Yet it’s not realistic to expect a child with AD/HD to go to her room, sit at her desk, and do all of her homework. So help her practice prioritizing. Figure out together how many assignments she has tonight, which are due tomorrow, and which of those is most challenging. Encourage her to start the most difficult homework first, when she’s fresh and energetic. Consistent use of the planner will help your child learn how to prioritize and manage assignments.

GO WITH THE PAPER FLOW
Students need a system for carrying assignments and other materials to and from school. Teachers often start the year by asking students to use a particular method, such as folders. Allow time to see if your child understands that method. If he doesn’t, rescue him sooner rather than later. Most teachers are amenable to a revised paper-flow system. Help your child figure out what’s best for him. It will take time and experimentation, but keep trying, and listen to your child. Kids often come up with their own good ideas.

Three perfect folders
For younger students (K through three), paper flow is about where to put loose papers like permission slips, handouts, and simple homework assignments. I’ve found that three clear pocket-type folders in a binder work best for organizing such papers. Label the pockets “Homework to Do,” “Homework Done,” and “Notices.” Your child should come home with all assignments in the “To Do” pocket and notes to parents in the “Notices” pocket. After completing homework, he should transfer it to the “Done” pocket to go back to school. The next day, when your child can see through his “Done” pocket, he’ll know he’s turned in all of his assignments.

Cue with color
As students get older, they have more materials to manage—which can be utterly confusing to an AD/HD child. What works best is to gather all items into one container, so the child has a better chance of getting home with everything she needs, finding it, and then getting it back to school. One container to try: a three-ring binder with color-coded tabs to section off each subject. Ask your child which colors she associates with which subjects. For example, she might say red for science (for blood) or green for nature. Color-coding by association offers visual cues for quick access to materials. The clear pocket folders recommended for younger kids can also work well for older students, who may need to see paperwork to be reminded to attend to it.

If your student crams papers and has trouble with binders, try an accordion file instead. Again, make a section for each subject so that your child has a specific place for loose papers.

Paper transfer
Once a unit of study is finished, the materials need to be moved out of the traveling folder. Set up a desktop file box with hanging folders by subject, and encourage your child to regularly transfer her finished projects here. With this system, if she needs to look something up or find a paper later on, it will be close at hand and neatly organized by subject.

Learning to be organized is a process for your child, one that calls for your patience and consistency. If she doesn’t understand right away, or at all, don’t be discouraged. Over time, she’ll incorporate one or two of the skills she’s learned. She may still forget her jacket on the bus, but at least she’ll remember to write her assignments down! Emphasize accomplishments and successes and praise your child as you continue to work with her on new skills. A parent’s support and perseverance help make organizing a positive and effective experience for a child, one that will prove to be a lifetime asset.

DONNA GOLDBERG is the founder of the Organized Student, a New York City–based consulting firm.