Daily Time Management Ideas for Kids: Unleashing Their Potential with Fun and Effective Strategies

Time management is an essential life skill. Time management skills allow us to get things in on time at work and school, plan ahead, avoid forgetfulness, feel less stressed, and more. It's not just for adults; kids and teens need time management skills, too, both to set them up for success now and later on in life. 

Time management can be tougher for some kids than it is for others, but don’t worry. No matter where you start, there are ways to make time management fun and accessible for your child. This is true whether you have younger kids or older kids. So, what should you know?

First, let's talk about how Joon can help teach kids time management. Then, we'll discuss why time management is important for kids and how to incorporate time management skills into your child's daily life.

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Using Joon To Teach Kids Time Management

Time management can be particularly tricky with ADHD, but it is also an imperative skill for kids to learn. That way, they can carry the knowledge into adulthood. Joon is a to-do app that doubles as a game. Designed specifically for children with ADHD and related disorders, Joon is a fun way to manage time. Here's how it works:

Parents download the Joon Parent app first and create a customized task list for their child. The child connects with a separate app called Joon Pet Game. You and your child can use the same device or separate devices. When kids finish the real-life tasks you assign to them in the Joon parent app, they get virtual rewards in Joon Pet Game. Since kids must finish tasks to move forward and take care of their virtual pet (called a Doter) in the game, Joon acts as a natural reward system. Tasks parents assign often include but aren't limited to age-appropriate chores, homework, and personal hygiene activities.

Joon motivates children, teaches time management skills, and helps kids follow through with tasks and routines. Many parents say that Joon has improved their parent-child relationship. Not only is Joon backed by child psychologists, teachers, and occupational therapists, but it is rated an average of 4.7 out of 5 stars in the app store, with more than 4k reviews from parents like you. 

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Why Is Time Management Important For Kids?

Now that we've talked a little bit about how Joon can help, why is it so crucial that kids learn to manage their time in the first place? Here are some of the reasons why it's valuable to start teaching kids time management skills now rather than later on or in adulthood.

Confidence and mental health

It's true that getting homework assignments in on time matters, but that's not the only reason to help kids learn time management. Another advantage is that when kids learn time management, they understand their capabilities. They'll see themselves finish multiple tasks and healthy routines every week, which can build confidence and self-esteem.

Time management can also promote mental health in the sense that it reduces overwhelm. Even adults know how it can feel when they're overloaded with responsibilities and don't know how they'll do it all. Time management takes that stress off of a person, which can mean that kids experience fewer mental and physical symptoms of stress and anxiety when met with all they need to do in a day or week.

Balancing fun and responsibilities

Everyone needs to unwind and do the things that bring them joy. Part of time management is setting aside free time you can count on and look forward to. Fit the things your child enjoys but that you might want to limit so that you can manage how much time is spent on those activities. For example, time to watch TV or play a video game.

Organization

Time management can be critical for organizing one's day, week, or month. Most kids have multiple homework assignments to complete in a week, or they might have larger projects they're expected to complete in a certain amount of time during the school year. For example, a large science project. If kids put those tasks off until the last minute, it might affect their grades or lead to low-quality work and stress. However, if a child's day, week, or month is organized appropriately, they will have adequate time to complete tasks successfully.

Even if it doesn't affect a child negatively right now - after all, many people with ADHD are driven by close deadlines - it might affect them later in life, so it's best to encourage kids to organize their time effectively early on.

Time management can also help with physically organizing items. Think about it this way: Taking a few minutes or a half hour to clean every day is a lot easier than taking an entire weekend to clean a house that hasn't been tended to in months. The same is true for other obligations.

Long-term goals

You may notice that kids, especially those with ADHD, tend to go for activities that are rewarding short term. Time management skills allow kids to start meeting long-term goals and finish multi-step tasks.

How To Incorporate Time Management Skills Daily

When teaching kids time management, it's imperative to stick to it. Managing time gets easier the more you practice. With that in mind, here are some tips to use to teach kids time management.

Talk about time

For younger children or children who don't yet understand the concept of time, one of the first steps to learning time management is to understand time and how it works. Work on learning about the clock, the days of the week, months, years, and changing seasons (e.g., "Spring comes after Winter") so that kids can use the information as a starting point to manage time.

Write a schedule for your child

Making a schedule is one of the first steps to implementing time management. You can write down a daily schedule for children in the form of a checklist, in an app, on a calendar, or in another way that works for you. Teach kids how to prioritize tasks with the schedule, talking them through the order of tasks and reminding children to complete certain tasks when they forget. Remain patient as children learn.

Make a family calendar

In addition to your child having their own schedule, make a calendar for the entire family. A family calendar means that the whole family will have better managed time, and you'll be able to remember and see what each family member needs to do on a specific day, too. If your child can read, they'll also know what to expect.

This is also a great way to plan family time around everyone's busy schedules.

Set a timer

Timers are excellent tools for activities like homework and chores. Nowadays, you don't have to go out and buy a timer - you can simply download a visual timer app on your phone to make it easy for kids! That said, sand timers and other physical timers can be great, too, if they work for your family.

Create goals

Create goals with deadlines to help kids learn to manage time. Once you set a goal, check in about it regularly. You can use sticker charts or lists to help kids track their work toward the goal and stay focused.

Teach positive self-talk

Teach kids how to talk themselves through tasks kindly. Motivation deficits are recognized in people with ADHD, and executive dysfunction can make it tough to start on tasks. Teaching kids to navigate this now is another valuable skill they'll carry to later years. Show kids how to coach themselves through activities step by step. For example, “first, I will put my shoes on. Then, I will get the leash and put it on the dog.” 

Use rewards

Similar to sticker charts, which can make excellent rewards systems, remember the power of external rewards for kids with ADHD. Reward children for progress in time management, such as completing a task within a specific and reasonable time limit.

Break tasks up

Smaller tasks are best for people with ADHD because they provide more immediate rewards and require sustained attention for only a short period of time. When your child has a large task, help your child break it into separate small tasks instead. That way, the task will be less overwhelming.

Takeaway 

Learning time management is crucial for children, and it can be a particularly necessary skill to work on in kids with ADHD. Children can get many benefits from time management skills, such as increased organization and confidence. Use the tips in this article to help teach your child time management skills.