Time Management for Kids
“An idle mind is the devil’s playground,” is a saying that I used to hear growing up. It’s so true. We need to help in the area of time management for kids.
We have to keep ourselves occupied, or in our idleness, we will become an easy target for the enemy’s attack on our minds. Our kids are no different.
Encourage your kids to be good stewards of their time.
Time is a special gift. We need to help our kids by encouraging them to be good stewards of their time.
Model good time management
We have to model for them good time management for kids. We also have to give them guidance in managing their own time.
They need us to explain to them how to manage their days. When we homeschool, the kids end up with a lot more spare time than their peers who aren’t at home. This gives them amazing opportunities to use that spare time to learn anything they’re interested in.
On the other hand, it can be a challenge to have so much free time if it isn’t being properly harnessed. We don’t want them to be idle and then end up wasting this opportunity.
It’s okay for kids to get bored and then get creative. That’s awesome if they are coming up with their own ideas and keeping busy.
But if you notice them sitting around with nothing to do too often, it may be time for you to encourage them with some suggestions. Point them in the right direction and provide the tools for them to have success.
Encourage a specialization
Your kids could specialize in some skill that they are already talented in such as woodworking, playing an instrument, painting, or cooking. The possibilities are endless.
Prepare your environment
Foster musical learning
Encourage the love of music by providing instruments and spending time together singing, maybe during a family worship time.
Provide family friendly music that’s accessible to the children, while not giving access to inappropriate music.
Provide simple learning materials that will help them to teach themselves how to play an instrument.
Strengthen natural talents and interests
- Discuss with your children what they are interested in specializing in and learning more about.
- Purchase detailed books on these topics.
- Watch videos together that are appropriate for them to learn about the topic they choose.
- If their interest has a hands-on component that you can do with them, make it happen.
Examples of hands-on activities for a specialty:
- If the specialty for the child is woodworking, help them build something using real tools.
- If the specialty is art, have special art lessons where you give them quality materials and tools and help them create artistic pieces. You can use tutorials found online to guide you if you feel clueless and learn with them.
- If the specialty is learning piano, find a book, videos, or an app to help them have the tools to learn on their own.
These things help create an environment for success and encourages them to take ownership of their own learning.
Make sure your kids always have a task (fun ones count)
Don’t let your kids be idle too much. Give them guidance on good ways to fill their time.
Ideas for how kids can spend their time:
- learning a new skill
- making a gift for someone
- researching a topic of interest
- cleaning
- caring for pets
- playing with siblings
- learning to play an instrument
- listening to quality/clean music
- helping a parent/sibling
- playing sports
- spending time outside.
- so much more!!
Does this sound like a lot to manage?
If this just sounds or feels overwhelming, or if you find yourself having days where it just seems to hard to tell them what to do because you’re trying to figure out what you’ve got to do, maybe it’s time to automate it more. Check out this post I wrote about simplifying your homeschool with open ended assignments.
Time management for kids is just a matter of thinking ahead of time and having things available for them. Prepare the environment with ready to go resources for them. Give them ways to lean into their interests and teach themselves. Encourage them to use their time wisely. Have fun and always direct them to Jesus as they determine how to spend their time and in every way.
