We are already to the mid way mark of September; where has the time gone? The school year is quickly moving along, and homework is beginning to add up. This is also the time of the year where many extracurricular activities and clubs begin to start up. The time commitment of school and extracurriculars can be stressful, especially for at risk youth.
Whether your children are involved in youth sports, music or a club, it’s important that you are helping them balance their programs with their school. At DREAM, our youth mentoring programs focus on teaching young kids about the importance of time management. Below, we share some tips on how your children can better balance their school and extracurricular activities this year.
Create and stick to a schedule
Life gets busy, and especially for kids who are involved in outside organizations other than school. One of the best ways to stay organized is by creating a schedule. Now, not every week is going to look the same, however, setting a schedule and developing a routine helps at risk youth to stay on top of all of their academics and activities!
Creating a schedule and routine is only beneficial if you stick with it. Following your schedule and understanding when you’re going to take time to do homework will help you become more efficient with your time.
Prioritize your work
When creating a schedule, it’s important that you help your kids prioritize their work so they understand what the most important things are to get done for a week. No matter what, school comes first. Parents should talk with their kids about the things they need to get done before every week, including studying for tests, homework, practices, etc.
Take Breaks
Taking breaks in academics and extracurricular activities is important to do in almost everything you do, and can be especially helpful when studying for a long period of time. For example, studying in sets of 45 minutes to an hour with a five-ten minute break in between is beneficial.
It can also be helpful to take a break from extracurriculars. Playing sports, or being involved in a school organization can be fun, but overdoing it can poorly affect your grades and can lead to burnout in whatever activity you are doing.
Strive to reach your goals
Lastly, parents should help their children strive to reach their goals by continuing to encourage them over and over. No one in life is perfect. Mistakes and obstacles will occur every now and then. However, when young kids fail while also feeling severely busy, it’s important that their parents are there to support them and encourage them to keep trying and working hard!
School takes up a lot of time, and can be stressful for children. Extracurricular activities can ease some of this stress when approached correctly. Use these tips to ensure your at risk youth and balancing their school and outside activities to create success!
At DREAM, we understand how hectic life can be. That’s why we offer after school programs designed to give young students a safe environment to play and learn once the school day is over. Visit our website to learn more about our after school programs!
