How do you Teach Time Management to Kids

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“Time and tide wait for none”, an old English Proverb that implies time and tide are uncontrollable. Just as you can’t stop the tide of the sea, you cannot stop the time from ticking; days turn to months and then to years.  It is imperative we perform our duties without any procrastination. For that, decision-making and actions are crucial. A personal development goal and career goal define our direction in life. Our values and beliefs define our speed in decision-making and actions.
Let's have a look at how to teach time management to kids:

1. Kid’s basic necessity for time management.
Basically, a kid needs to follow time for waking up, going to school, doing homework, eating and going to bed. Setting up an alarm and using a notice board in the child’s room would be ideal to keep up the time. The most important necessity a child should know in time management is to know how to see the clock. A child can understand the value of time only after learning to look at the clock. There are more possibilities for the kids to finish the task by following the time at ease.   

2. Teaching time management by a Japanese technique.
A simple yet profound Japanese technique to be followed for time management and avoiding procrastination is “POMODORO TECHNIQUE”. 

Decide the task at hand, set aside 20 minutes and work undistracted on the task. After 20 minutes, take a break. Simple tasks like reading a book can be done only for 20 minutes. There may be complex tasks that require 3 to 4 hours of attention.

For such cases, follow the basic 6 steps.

• Decide the task at hand
• Plan the number of Pomodoro's you need depending on the complexity the of task
• End the task after 20 minutes 
• Take a 5-minute break
• Restart the task
• After 4 Pomodoro’s take 
• 30-minute break

For busy working professionals, having a tough time balancing between work, home and children, follow the Pomodoro technique for devoting some time to your peace and mental health.  It’s better to do it for 20 minutes on Day 1 and continue consistently until you complete it, rather than trying to devote the entire duration to one stretch.

The best way to feel productive during the day through multitasking is by following the Pomodoro Technique. A feeling of satisfaction can be felt at the end of the day, as we tend to dedicate time to our own hobbies and our own personal needs.

Example 1: For a person with no reading habits and who wishes to cultivate habits, plan your task as “Reading”. Set aside a time for 20 minutes. It is not mandatory to complete the book. Just read for 20 minutes and then put away the book. Continue the same way the next day. In such a case, only one Pomodoro is enough.

Example 2: For a person who needs to complete Diwali cleaning at home and there is absolutely no time due to work schedules, plan 2 Pomodoro’s, it requires only 40 minutes of your time in a day. Start with decluttering and discarding unwanted and unused things area-wise.

In this digital age, the biggest issue we all face is lack of time due to screen distraction and the second is lack of time due to hectic work schedules. The Pomodoro technique is a tried and tested method that we all must adopt in our daily life: professional and personal. Avoid procrastination and improve productivity multi-folded with this simple method. 

Distractions are productivity killers. Social media, smartphones and disruptions caused by people are the major distractors that never allow the kids to perform constantly. 

Example 1: If you take a kid looking at the mobile, he does not know the world until someone grabs it. The child gets irritated and takes time to settle down where the task gets paused.   

Example 2: A child easily gets distracted during study time. The most common distractions caused by the kids during study time are water, restrooms and asking for the favourite person in their family to come out of their study mood. How can you avoid distractions? The best way is to put up a study room with its accessories and an encouraging environment.   

4. Prioritize your task.
Priority is the key to success in time management. Teach your children at a young age about an urgent and important task so as to finish it on time. A small child has so many tasks to complete in a day.  Helping your kids prioritize their day is something they can use throughout life and will help them get the most important tasks done daily and weekly while setting each one up to complete long-term goals as well. Start small with daily priorities before moving to weekly and monthly priorities. You'll instantly set your kids up for success and soon have children who are masters of time management.

5. Consider rewards:
You can reward kids for good time management and those perks can be great motivators. Rewards can be daily or weekly and you should decide on those rewards together as a family. Be creative with your rewards. Sure, you can opt to give your kids time playing a video game and a family movie time as rewards.  Younger kids can focus on rewards in shorter time periods, such as playing a board game together to complete three or four goals on their schedule. The point is to turn those time management rewards into time well spent with your family as a result.

Hurry up! Do you know what time it is? What have you been talking you for so long? The good news is that even younger children can learn how to manage time and learn to accomplish goals. Find out various innovative and fun techniques to achieve ease in time management.

About The Author:

Lakshmi Sakthi Alagappan lives in Thanjavur in Tamilnadu, India. She is an administrative officer at Blossom Public School. She likes reading books, listening to music, and surfing.