#schoolandeducation

Tips for Fun and Healthy School Lunch

By Jennifer Cummings, M.ed. One of the most important skills any student can have is the ability to be organized. Whether your child is entering grade 4 or grade 8, if they have the ability to keep their books, papers and projects in order and accessible, they will have an excellent chance of performing to their best ability all year long! Though most teachers work hard in classrooms to teach these skills every day, you can help your child to learn to keep themselves organized by following these simple S.T.E.P.S.!

S- Simplify Supplies

Students tend to want all of the latest gadgets and gizmos that are available in the back-to-school section of your local retailer, convinced by the media they are all necessary for academic success. However, encourage your child to buy only the basic supplies required by their school. The more pockets, digital planners, and other unnecessary add-ons your child has, the greater the opportunity to lose more important things they actually need for class. If your child does not get a school supply list ahead of time, you may want to purchase some basic notebooks and folders before school starts, and then ask your child's teacher for their recommendations after school begins. Buying only what you need helps your child stay organized and helps you save money, too!

T- Take Time

Before the school year gets too far along, take the time to create a daily plan for how your student will keep up with school projects and materials; by making a plan as a family to be organized, your student receives the support they need to organize themselves and stay on track. Decide on a certain place to put notices, backpacks, and do homework each day. Consider hanging a special calendar to write important school dates and projects on. Also, discuss who is responsible for checking that homework is done well each night; be sure that responsibility is placed on your student to promote good self-management skills; if mom and dad do all the work, the student won't get the real benefits!

E- Eliminate Excess

As parents know, backpacks, desks, folders, notebooks, and bedrooms are all notorious sites for collecting clutter in many forms. Corrected papers (some that you may be very interested in seeing!), snack leavings, assignment sheets, and old gym socks are but some of the detritus that accumulates during the daily school routine. Be sure that you have your child eliminate unnecessary papers weekly, if not nightly, from their needed school work in folders, notebooks, binders, and backpacks. Not only will this help to reduce clutter, but will help you to be sure that you are seeing more of your child's work on a regular basis.

P- Prepare Ahead