I’m not sure how a lot of you homeschooling moms manage it. Its hard! It got even harder in our house when a little baby started crawling. Oh, wait he did that on the first day of school. The first day of school and I had to throw all my ideas, plans and expectations out the window. By the grace of God we’ve managed.
On that first day of school I had to think quick. What could I do to keep the day moving and not at a stand still until nap time. Ha! Right? I know a lot of you can handle it, but not this first time mom of two. But God reminded me of a tool from my classroom days.
The Homework Folder.
Does this look familiar to any one?
Well, I took this little idea and tweak it. Something quite simple that I’m sure is already out there somewhere on the world wide web.
This is our To-Do Folder. And it has worked wonderfully for us!
It keeps my son organized and on task, especially when his little brother is keeping me on my toes.
How to Keep a Student Organized with a To-Do Folder
Each day I prep my son’s work that he can do independently on the “To Do” side (copy work, math fact sheet, bible memory verse, cut & paste activity, etc.). I usually do this the night before.
After he finishes his morning jobs, he starts school without me. I usually have him complete his memory work and math first. This way he is prepared when I come to work with him. Other than that, he can do the activities in what ever order he chooses. Once he completes an activity it goes to the “Done” side.
While he is working independently, I’m keeping his younger brother entertained and out of the kitchen. Once I put his brother down for his morning nap, I work with Lil’Man on things we need to do together. If at any point I have to step away, I just tell him to work on any uncompleted activities in his To-Do Folder.
This really has been a life saver! I’m not sure this would work for everyone, but if you have a child that can work independently this method will help them stay organized and on task.
How do you keep your student organized and on task?
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So true!! There has been many a morning where I’m stuffing it because I forgot! Lately, I’ve been stuffing it at the end of his school day, after he shows me his completed work. There are several things in there that just get moved back and forth, such as his calendar meeting page (laminated), which makes it easier.
I love this idea! I wonder if it might work for 2 of my kids… of course it’s the person filling the folders who usually ends up dropping the ball… 😉
Wish that was all it took with my son…he refuses to use his folders! He just crumples up and shouted in his backpack. Even when a teacher manages to get him to put in neatly it always seems to disappear. It is so frustrating!