Influenced by the COVID-19 situation, it has been difficult for children to enjoy normal school lives in the past year. Returning to school means being able to gather with teachers and classmates, which is very important for children. And of course, parents like you would hope to start early and prepare for the upcoming school year. One of the biggest differences between returning to school and studying at home is organizing school bags. Similar to doing homework, parents always worry about children making mistakes. It is often easier to solve the problem by organizing the schoolbag for your child directly. But even if you can help them in their early years, can you help them to sort everything out for the rest of their lives?
ILK Learning is here to break down 4 steps for how to get your child organize their own school bags and how that helps cultivate their senses of order.
While schools start in two weeks, busy parents like you do not have enough time to spare time for this with all the necessary preparations? Don’t worry, as a one-stop education platform, we certainly think well for you. Our team has designed a list of key school supplies for school bag organization training, by categorizing supplies in different colors. You can print the list out and put it up in a prominent place at home. The children can refer to it easily. Parents or helpers can also use it as a cheat sheet for this school bag organization routine!
To start training children to take care of their school bags, you can:
1. Sort schoolbag supplies into categories
To let children learn to pack what they need to go to school, they must first identify what would be essential.
You and your children can “pour out” all the books, homework, stationery, etc. from the schoolbag the day before the school starts, teach them to identify the supplies for class, gradually familiarize themselves with the appearance, color and size of the supplies, and learn to classify them. You could also guide them to start placing objects with similar properties and functions together.
2. Read the class timetable with your children
After getting to know about school items, parents should guide the children to follow the timetable and teachers’ reminders in the homework book, and tidy up the items needed. If you are worried that your children will miss out some homework and textbooks, you can secretly re-check the school bag after they go to bed. Make sure children do not find out this process to avoid mental dependenceIf there are any missing items, you can give hints on the side, for example: “I saw some sportswears in your room. Would you need them for the PE lesson tomorrow?” This step is extremely important for cultivating children’s time concept and spontaneity, and it can also enable them to understand their routines and responsibilities better.
3. Make a list of things
Let the children learn to list the necessary supplies by themselves. You can also print out our list of key school supplies for school bag organization training so that children can learn to check item by item. Organizing and checking school bags independently is a long-term training that nurtures children to be more careful and rigorous. It not only cultivates children’s focus, but they will also be more organized and more cautious in their academic sides.
4. Be considerate and accepting, let the children learn from their mistakes
It takes time and effort to instill organization and a sense of responsibility in children, and it is not something that can be achieved overnight. It is also impossible for family members or helpers to do everything for the child. After all, they need to learn to be self-reliant and face different challenges as they grow up.
The best teaching material is to allow children to have and learn from mistakes, while providing timely praise and encouragement meanwhile. If the child can tell what he/she needs and start packing their own school bags, parents can give specific appreciation and guidance to the child, such as: “We appreciate that you will put your English homework in the homework bag, which is a very organized action. Do you think the Mathematics homework could be put together?” The children will do better and eventually strengthen their ability to take care of themselves.
This school year, cultivate your child’s ability to take care of themselves, starting from school bag organization.
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