Getting Ready for Middle School

They’ll start managing their own time. A kid who can manage their own time will be able to complete assignments without rushing or missing the deadline, and you won’t have to nag them to get their homework done all the way up to bedtime. Doesn’t that sound nice? (Okay, there might still be some nagging required.) How do you help your kid learn to do this? For starters, get them a watch if they don’t already have one. Even though digital clocks abound these days, make sure they can actually read an analog clock (because they’ll need to at some point!). Instead of telling them it’s time to turn off the TV and do their homework, ask them to consider how many homework assignments they have, how long they think those assignments will take, and how much time they have to get it all done.

They’ll learn to plan ahead. As they have more to do in and out of school, they’ll need to learn how to plan ahead so they don’t get overwhelmed. Effective planning skills will mean your kid can make their own packing list for a trip, for example, or look at their to-do list and determine which items are the most important. To help them learn how to do this, start off with a simple physical planner where they can write their assignments and other activities on a weekly calendar.

They’ll start keeping themselves organized. If you have a kid whose backpack looks like a small explosion occurred every day, now is a good time to get them started keeping themselves organized. Encourage them to come up with a system that works for them: Do they need a folder for every class? Or maybe they prefer a folder for outgoing assignments and one for incoming assignments? They should develop a portable organization system that goes with them to school, as well as a system for use at home. Consider trying a “drop zone”—a space where they can keep the stuff that needs to come and go every day, put important papers from school that you need to review, and where they can charge any devices they need for school, too.

They’ll need to start taking more responsibility for their own actions. So your kid didn’t finish an assignment on time? Or they left something important at school? Part of becoming more independent is learning to take responsibility. To help them build this skill, you’ll want to start turning their mistakes into learning opportunities—and not bailing them out as quickly as you might have when they were smaller. Don’t ask the teacher for an extension or run back to school; instead, remind them that this is why they need to rely on their own checklists and organizational tools to stay on top of things. (And if those tools aren’t working for them, it might be time to brainstorm what they could do differently.)