Back to School Tips for Children

• Find and Set a Time: Develop a schedule for kids to complete their homework around the same time each day. This helps to establish time management skills. For some children, the best practice may be to start homework as soon as they get home. For others, homework time may be more of a fit after dinner. Trial and error is important in finding what works best for your child. Once you have found the optimal schedule, stick to it!
• Homework Environment: Along with setting “homework time”, it’s also important to create a distraction-free location where your kids can complete their work. This area should be well-lit and stocked with all the necessary supplies such as pencils, paper, and glue! Remove any distractions from the “homework area”, such as loud music, TV, games, or toys.
• To-Do Lists: It may sound simple but helping your child create a to-do list of assignments is a great way to remain organized! By making a list, you and your child will have a better idea of the work that needs to be completed. A to-do list easily identifies the workload and gives your kid choices on what tasks to complete first!

Positive Encouragement

While setting up a routine is important, supporting your child through their schooling is critical! Words of encouragement and positive messages are motivational and beneficial to your kids, especially if they have difficulty completing assignments. Here are some ways to encourage and motivate!

• Rewards: Sometimes children may need an extra push to complete their assignment.  Rewards are not only a great motivator to your child, but they offer a sense of accomplishment! Some tempting rewards may be a piece of candy, a 15-minute TV break, an outside play session, or some time with their favorite toy.  Not only does this help break assignments into manageable chunks, but it is also a great way to celebrate your child’s hard work!
• Availability: Parental availability is another way to ease the homework process. Make sure to encourage your child to ask you for help when they’re having difficulty with assignments. Be sure to stay nearby during “homework time” so your child does not need to go searching for you.
• Be an Advocate: As a parent, never shy away from advocating for your child, whether it is keeping in touch with teachers or communicating children’s needs to the school.  Children can also be advocates for themselves by packing the necessary school supplies and ensuring their completed assignments are handed in on time.

Additional Tips

• Color Coding: Another helpful trick to remain organized is to color code your kids books and supplies! One example of incorporating this strategy is to assign colors based on subject. Any material needed for a particular class, such as textbooks, notebooks, and folders, can be color coded for easy identification.
• Make Manageable Tasks: Break down bigger tasks that may take longer into more manageable tasks. This will ensure your child does not feel overwhelmed. Separating a huge assignment into smaller parts allows kids to take breaks and offers them a sense of accomplishment by completing bite sized tasks. Practice patience and understanding when it comes to heavy workloads.

We hope these tips are helpful for this upcoming school year! Adjust any of these strategies as necessary to fit the needs of your child. Helping Hands Family wishes everyone a safe, fun, and successful school year!

Helping Hands Family (HHF) offers in-clinic, in-home, and in-school autism therapy. Our service areas are in the Northeast United States including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut. Our team offers decades of clinic experience and are devoted to helping as many families as possible through personalized treatment! If your child has an autism diagnosis, please click the link below to schedule a free consultation.