Organization is the key to success for middle schoolers

Organization is critical in middle school. Your child may have six or more teachers assigning homework on top of after-school activities. Organization can make the difference between doing well and sinking.

To help your child get organized:

Have a weekly planning meeting. Sitting down with your child for 15 minutes each Sunday night to plan the week ahead can make the next six days go more smoothly.
Have your child wear a watch and refer to it often.
Get your child a daily planner to keep track of homework and activities. Have him check it every day to see which books to bring home.
Have your child make checklists. Have him make a checklist of tasks to complete when he starts his homework each evening. Have him make a checklist of the steps he needs to complete for long-range projects.

Reprinted with permission from the February 2005 issue of Parents Still make the difference!® (Middle School Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2005 The Parent Institute®, a division of NIS, Inc. Source: Nancy Firchow, “Organization and Time Management Strategies,” SchwabLearning.org, www.schwablearning.org/articles.asp?r=380.