It is a dream for every homeschooling parents to get their children able to manage their own learning time. Whatever your homeschooling methods, how lucky you are when you have children that are naturally great organizers. However, not everyone is blessed with the ability to manage himself or herself. I think it is not only for children, but also for adults, including myself. Here are some ways I try to help my children and myself managing our time.

1. Use Student Planner
   Recently we try to practice using planner. While I am filling my planner in the morning, kids are also doing the same thing with their own planner. We use around 10 minutes in the morning to think about works that we need to accomplish during the day. I made a special planner for them. If you are interested, you might download the planner.
2. Use Timer
   We need to introduce the concept of using timer carefully to children so that there won’t be any misunderstanding in using timer. There are 2 kinds of view about using timer:
   • Timer can be considered as a tool that can help us to be aware with the time and limit. In this case timer is seen as a helpful friend for kids so that kids will love timer as a helper for them to achieve their target work on time. Thus, kids will feel comfortable in using timer in doing their work. Kids will use timer based on their awareness, not because their parents ask them to do so.
   • Timer can be considered as a competitor for us that run after us and screaming on our back while we are doing certain amount of work. In this case timer is seen as an enemy for kids so that kids might hate timer as it always scolds them when they are working. Kids will try to hide timer when they are working and they will wait their parents remind them to use timer when they are working.
3. Helping Learners Customizing Their Schedule
   This one is one thing that I am going to do definitely as both of my children start to be teenagers and I would like to have more discussion and commitment with them. Here is my favourite live panel about homeschooling schedules hosted by Bright Ideas Press.
4. Use Some Reward For Encouraging
   Managing time independently is a tough thing for some kids and adults. There are some people that are easily boosted and influenced by rewards. Giving reward for achieving target in managing the time independently is an alternative for some people.
5. Helping Kids to Know Their Best Learning Style
   By integrating learning styles and multiple intelligence theory, the teaching and learning process would be much easier and much more pleasant for both parents and children. Therefore, it will make the learning time more organized as well. It is a kind of win – win solution for everyone. Of course there should be some limit to follow to make the learning process well balanced.

Beyond everything, giving example for kids in managing your own time will be wiser rather than any other tips, I think. Modelling to kids how parents can manage their time and involving them to parents’ time management will be a very great activity and method for kids to develop their personal growth in managing their time. Therefore, getting the kids interested in what parents are doing in managing their time should be the best method in helping kids managing homeschooling learners managing their time.

Show to the kids how you use your planner, timer, learning style and intelligence so that kids will know how to use the tools well and how you give rewards for yourself in certain period of time for all the things that you have achieved.