Why Is Time Management Important for Children to Learn?

School-aged children have a daily routine with things they need to do at specific times. From getting ready for school and getting out the door to going to bed at night, things generally happen in the same order. To a certain extent, it can be pretty stable and predictable. However, life is full of changes. Each season brings different activities, different goals and different weather. As your child grows and matures, their responsibilities will change. They'll need to make more decisions and take care of more tasks independently.

Your child will need time management skills and tools to function at their best. But there are no hard and fast rules as to when children need to learn these things and how they learn best. The answers are unique for each individual child. 

In this blog post, we’ll share why time management is important for your child to learn and how Executive Function coaching can help.

Why is time management important for kids?

Children need time management skills to finish tasks that have a defined time frame during the school day. They’ll also need time management skills to get homework and long-term projects done on time. However, time management isn’t a skill that’s explicitly taught in most schools. Some children may need some coaching outside the classroom to learn time management skills in a way that makes sense to them.

We don’t all perceive time the same way

Are you constantly underestimating how long tasks will take — and rushing to finish them at the last minute? Or are you the type of person who always shows up early? Some people experience time as one continuous present without much awareness of the future, which is called "time blindness." Others may feel that time is moving faster than it really is. And when you’re doing something you’re especially interested in, time can fly by. You may know this as "hyperfocus." It's important for each individual to understand their relationship to time so they can manage it better.

People with ADHD may have trouble with time management because of these symptoms:

• "Time blindness"
• Perception of time moving faster than it really is
• Visceral sense of time rather than quantitative
• High distractibility
• Impulsivity
• Procrastination
• Hyperfocus

Free resource: Time Management 101

School-aged children use time management skills every day

Much of a child's day may be scheduled out for them. But that also means they need to manage their approach to individual activities so they can keep up. They may spend too much time planning out a writing assignment or an art project — and end up not having enough time to finish it. Or they might spend too much time talking at lunch and not enough time eating. As school assignments get more complex, time management issues may lead to a lot of hasty last-minute rushes and all-nighters. The same challenges apply to responsibilities at home, from getting ready to leave the house to doing chores or practicing an instrument.

Individual children have different motivations

Motivation plays a big role in time management. Being motivated to do something and following through on it takes a combination of several other skills. You have to organize your ideas, initiate or begin the task itself, and stay focused as you make progress. If you run into challenges, you have to troubleshoot them and potentially change course. Add some distractions into the mix and you have a recipe for endless procrastination.

For children with ADHD, the reward system in their brain works in a slightly different way. They have lower levels of dopamine in their brain than others. Often, tasks they view as responsibilities aren’t immediately satisfying to them, like cleaning or a homework assignment. These things can be harder to initiate and finish in a timely manner.

Finding ways to make boring tasks more fun and satisfying is critical. For example, you might put on their favorite music when it's time to clean. Breaking big tasks down into smaller chunks and taking lots of breaks helps make them less overwhelming. Visual cues like checklists and illustrated reminders help children stick with tasks to completion.

Children can learn time management with Executive Function coaching

Time management is just one of many Executive Function skills your child will need to reach their full potential in any role and responsibility they take on. These are the life management skills we all need in order to be effective in planning, initiating and achieving our daily goals. Some children may struggle to learn them without focused time and guidance. However, these skills can be taught, learned and applied. Back-to-school time is just around the corner. Watch this on-demand webinar full of practical tips to help your child with Executive Function skills like time management.

Executive Function coaching is what we do at Beyond BookSmart. Our coaches are passionate about helping children discover what they can do with the right tools and a little self-confidence. Time management skills are an important piece of the puzzle. With one-on-one coaching, your child will learn to prioritize what needs to be done and use their time and energy wisely.

At Beyond BookSmart, we help students hone skills like time management by personalizing our services to their individual needs, learning differences and emotional challenges. We match each child with a coach who can establish a strong, supportive relationship.

Ready to start exploring your child's possibilities? Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an inquiry call.