6 Organising Skills Your Child Should Learn In Pre-school
Pre-school (or Grade R) is crucial because it’s a period of exploration and discovery. Aside from academic skills, your child should learn organising skills as well. This doesn't have to be boring if you think of ways to sneak these skills into daily life. Try these six activities to get started.
Making To-Do Lists
Your child’s to-do list makes his or her tasks more manageable. This encourages your child to complete the activities on the list too. For a small child, this isn't going to be perfect, but it will sow the seed for the future.
Packing in Advance
It can be tempting to do all of this for your child because life is busy and you definitely don't want to have to rush home to fetch forgotten items. Packing in advance gives children a sense of responsibility and allows them to designate which specific items go to each of their bag’s compartment. You could definitely tie this task to the to-do list activity.
Organising Homework
Whilst small children may not necessarily receive homework, when they do, get them to number their work depending on its difficulty. Easy tasks should be numbered first, and harder ones, completed last. By doing easier tasks first, children will move onto the harder ones with more confidence.
Setting a Study Time
With your guidance, your child should be given the freedom to choose his or her homework time. This lets your child know that there’s a time for studying and a time for playing. It is ideal that they also do their homework in the same (quiet) place every day to create a routine.
Keeping Notebooks Organised
At the beginning of the year, when you have to get all the stationery organised, get your child involved from an early age. Labelling books and clothing helps a child understand the value of labelling items and preparation. Make this fun for your child. Let them draw on the first page of the book before you cover it with plastic. They can also cut out any labels you may have printed for application to stationery.
Planning ahead is a really important organising skill. For small children, this will not necessarily be a planner for upcoming tests, but what about play dates, a trip to the dentist or a family outing? Get a child-friendly planner or make one together with your child.
As the famous saying goes, “Teach a child the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it".