As your family continues to adjust to the start of a new school year, please consider the following ways to make sure your children are in a routine that will promote school success:
*Set the rules.
Make sure your children understand that there is a specific time set aside each day to do homework. Make a special family reading time as well. Enforce rules for TV watching, especially on school nights. You might want to create a chart until daily routines become a habit. Give your child a star on the days he does everything without being asked.
In elementary school, there is always a lot of paper going between school and home. Just like your child should know where to put papers when he arrives at school, set up a place at home where your child puts all the paperwork from school Sign your child's planner or other necessary papers and put them back in their backpacks for the next day.
*Keep track of schedules.
Post a calendar at home where every family member can see it. Children as early as first or second grade should be expected to write down activities as they are scheduled. If a book report is due the day after a soccer game, your child will hopefully see that he needs to finish it early.
