Five things your child should take to school every day

What are the things your child should bring to school every day to ensure success? During the school year it’s important to help your child learn to get organized, and it’s vital to help your son or daughter be ready to focus and learn.

Listed below are five essential items to have with them every day:

Something that hold their pencils

Your child needs a case or bag for pens and pencils. It should be compact and easy to carry while being big enough to also carry a pencil sharpener and eraser. Small items can be lost or misplaced, or they may fall to the bottom of your child’s backpack.

Lunch

Breakfast and lunch are the two most important meals of the day because they give your child energy, as well as feed the brain so that they have better focus. If you do not pack your child’s lunch, then make sure that he or she has money to buy lunch. Eating every few hours keeps your child’s energy level consistent, and it fuels the brain regularly so that he or she can focus throughout the day. Also, remember to offer your child a nutritious snack when coming home from school.

Proper clothing for the weather

Make sure that your child is dressed properly for what the weather brings each day. As the weather gets colder, they will need a jacket, hat and mittens, and warm shoes or boots. Many children go to school without proper clothes to wear outside for recess. It’s hard for your child to concentrate when he comes in with frozen fingers and cold feet because he will be focusing on getting warm rather than on the teacher’s lesson. If your child takes warm clothes to school, then the teacher can see that the warm clothes are worn outside.

A computer or iPad

Most schools supply computers or iPads for their students, and it’s important for your child to have that with them in school. Not only does your child keep homework and assignments on it, it can also be used as a daily planner. Learning good computer skills and etiquette is important in today’s technological world.

A time-management schedule

Your child’s time-management schedule is necessary so that she knows where she is supposed to be and what she is supposed to remember each day. Your child can use a paper and pencil or an iPad to create a time-management schedule. It’s important to keep track of the time studying and reading, and it’s necessary to have a place for the parents to sign. Your child can use the schedule to help remember special days, like Hat Day, Inside Out Day, a class party, or Mom’s or Dad’s birthday.

You, as a parent, should have your own time management schedule to keep track of your daily schedule, as well as your child’s. It will help you remember birthdays, events and recitals, doctor appointments, and carpooling or extra-curricular activities.

Gail Marek, a professional organizer with Organized for Success, teaches organizational skills around the Twin Cities for parents, teachers, and children age 12 and older. For more information, go to http://www.gailmarek.com.