Teaching Kids Time Manangement.

Grace3 · Mar 30, 2009

Dear Raji,

Thank you for your response. I agree, they know what should be done but are just playful about it . My kid would prefer jumping on the bed, bathing her toy(s), watching & commenting :rotflon what I'm doing in the kitchen --- rather than eating properly ...
No, we are not at all inclined to TV watching -- some days the TV is hardly switched 'ON', so nothing to distract her during meals ; she would rather remain hungry & play, play, play .....

In study time, I teach her the lesson, then give her a practice to do -- some sums ; or grammar sentences etc. Then I get up & occupy myself, just within a few feet of her , while she works on them ; I maintain utter silence & won't encourage any talk, until she finishes the work. If I keep sitting beside her, she will chatter 'Today Carol told this...' ; 'I saw Victor doing this ...' ; 'Why is Hilda saying this to me...' & ..'Mrs.Dawson punished so & so.." ... !
Only if I move, she'll focus at least the little bit she is doing now ...Big Laugh

Anyway, kids will be kids ... as parents, we need to be more patient.

padmavathi m · Mar 30, 2009

grace,

ha ha finally you have agreed that we parents should have enoooooooooooooormous amount of patience....................good:spin

Grace3 · Mar 30, 2009

Dear Padmavathi,

Nowadays parenting is making saints out of simple, normal beings like me .....bonk. I was such an impatient, restless person before ---- I would say being a wife itself, we need tons of patience ...Big Laugh

nemo · Apr 6, 2009

Hi all,

It is good to have lot of experienced persons around. And by discussing every issues and challenges we are sharing lot of things:thumbsup. So friends I also need your help. My daughter is of 51/2 years old and very sensitive. She likes me very much and always want me to care and love (expressive way) her. As a mother she is like my life, but it is always not possible to express the love that is within. She expect this from everyone around her (teachers, friends, relatives). if someone shows little bit of irritation she will start crying. She likes to go to school where the timing is from 8-1.45. She is also attending some mental mathematic classes and doing it well. It is just for 2hrs weekly one day classes. But she just don't want to go. She do it very nicely. I just can't understand what is wrong with the classes. The teacher is a very good lady, very polite and supporting. My DD want her always to at her side when she does the maths. It is not possible as they have to look after other children too. But she don't have any this kind of problem at school where the class population is more. Friends pls help:hide:

I tried everything from cutting her playtime and games, not talking to her etc, etc but no use If I'm not allowing her to play, she will be with me in the kitchen chatting happily. :idea

ramapriyah · Apr 13, 2009

Dear Grace,

Read your Post. Actually, it is the same as my daughter. she is 9 yrs old now.
She takes her own sweet time to get-up, bathe, brush , eat. She has missed her school van many times. The effect will be there for 2-3 days, then back to square one.

If she has to go out to play, meet her friends, birthday parties, she is ready in a jiffy. Cutting play time, making her go to bed early, not talking to her, timing her activities nothing has worked. Yes, nagging doesn't help, on the reverse makes them more lazy.

Thankfully, she is doing very well academically.

I have dealt with her patiently and also praying god to give me more patience.

Bye for now,

Priya.

Grace3 · Apr 23, 2009

Dear Priya,

Nice to read about your naughty but smart little girl ! Yes, patience is the key but also side-by-side we have to keep gently nudging them as this is the age ; otherwise their initial delaying methods which become very habit forming later on ......cannot be 'unlearned' .

Thanks for your response.

swap0106 · Apr 27, 2009

My dd is 3.5 yrs old and she is just like that play play all the time. Even her teacher at nursery says she didn't eat her food just played with it. I am trying to teach her we eat at the table and play later. But nothing works she has a couple of spoons once her initial hunger has vanished she will start to play with anything around! I was secretly thinking maybe she will get better as she grows up! But looking at the posts above I think its going to be a long wait or what very scary!!!!! God give me patience or better still make her more focussed on other things besides playing!

suzanna · Apr 28, 2009

hi grace3,
i have the same problem as you.
getting my elder two,sam and susy to get up on time inthe morning is a tough job.
my son wakes up and after a lot of cajoling and finally yelling so does my daughter.then they somehow manage to waste time till here is a mad scramble for the bus.
feel exhausted thinking about it. funny thing is if one is sick and has to stay home and only the other has to go,its fairly smooth sailing especially my son but my daughter will sit in her underwear,humming or talking till i push her along.sigh!hope she grows out of it.
would love suggestions on how to make my 11 year old more responsible regarding his studies.
my daughter will not sleep or do anything till her school assignments are complete.
my son is the opposite.thinks if he ignores it,it will just go away.bonk

suzanna · Apr 28, 2009

hi had written a reply but it just disappeared in cyberspace.
ok once again.
grace i have the same problem wit my 2 eldest.
sam is nearly 11 and is getting better at getting ready on time for school.[he is very good at knowing when i am about to explode and goes into hyperdrive]
susy is a dwadler.
i have no problems with her studies.she is very responsible that way.she is nearly 7 now.getting her to be on time in the morning is a nightmarebonk
hope they grow out of it.she goes for abacus classes and has understood that each second counts.i give her a lot of praise for taking less time for each page.so she tries now to better her own time.
reading one of the posts gave me the idea of timing her in the morning thanks.
i love my kids and yelling at them to hurry up everyday makes me sad when they go.
also suggestions appreciated for my son's remarkable thinking that homework,tests etc will vanish if he ignores them.
Drowningbonk

Meenamohan · Apr 28, 2009

:clapDear Grace & all Ilites,
Thanks to Grace for starting this thread. Its very useful to me too. as shanvy Mam said I tried to do it with gold stars. Also like Padmavathi I give coins to my kids when they finish off their Home works brfore I reach home.(they like the coins as it gives out the sound and they make some designs out of it in front of pooja which is their favorite)
Most of all i agree with many of you. They know what they have to do. But when is the confusion for them.
i always believe in one thing instead of advising let us do it. I actually started like this. I changed myself first. The first thing I do as soon as I come home is to chat with my parents and then on the phone with friends. I totally stopped it. I have my fixed timing now. After my wash I sit with my kids for praying and then bring their bags take out their books and ask them what it is. I have 2 DDs so i take out the books alternatively. I will not let them feel that they are doing their home works but doing something good for me. this is what i told them. I feel happy if your teacher says that "She is very Good girl". After they finish their HW I take out a game for each one of them and play with them. until 8'o Clock. then i ask them to have dinner and go and sit for my phone calls. So they know that if they finish their HW earlier they can play with me a lot and i will get them all new games. This is the kind os thing i do and THIS only works more than the coins actually.
I also struggled like anything in the beginning. But I strongly felt that I should be a ROLE MODEL and lead them. It took a month for me to change but finally I did. I recently shifted my house, I was so surprised that the kids managed to do their HW well in advance and helped me a lot. after all they are 5 1/2 & 4 years old. I was really moved. HATS OFF TO THEM Bow:hatsoff

Sorry Ilites i took much of your time saying about my experiences. I wanted to share it with you all and when i saw this thread I decided to post it here.
Anyway All the best to ALL MOMMY's and a HAPPY MOTHER's DAYarty