As your kids get older and start school, your schedule will undoubtedly become more and more complicated.
On top of regular classes, you’ll need to consider playdates, field trips, after-school sessions, extracurriculars, weekend games, and countless other activities. And that’s just for just one child. If you have multiple children, then you’ll find it even harder to plan activities and events ahead of time.
This is where organising your school schedules can make your life easier.
Whether you’re raising one child or many, a proper school schedule will help everyone in your family stay more organised and become more prepared for activities in the future.
Here are some great ways to do it:
Fill a Large Year Calendar
A large year calendar will make it easy for you to plan activities and note important dates throughout the year. It will also give you a larger view of the year, making it easier to plan events (e.g. holidays, family trips, etc.) in advance. Along with having your own personal calendar and task list on your phone, It’s helpful to have a physical calendar too. It’s best to place this calendar in a spot where everyone can see it. This way, everyone in your family can know what’s happening in the week and what to expect soon.
Use a Coding System
Keep your schedule organised by using a coding system for special activities, recurring tasks, important events. Using a letter system for designating regular activities, for example, can make it easier to record them throughout the year (e.g. “PD” for playdate, “C” for camping”). Another effective method is a colour code system for different children and family members. By assigning a colour to each person in your family, everyone can quickly and easily know who is responsible (or involved) in each event or task.
Record Holidays
Don’t make the mistake of simply assuming holidays (or ‘free days’) are the empty spaces on your calendar. While that may be true in many cases, this can make it more difficult to plan events and activities for everyone in your family. This especially true if you have multiple children who are in different school levels and, therefore, have different holiday schedules. To make things simpler and more organised, mark each person’s holiday period throughout the year with a corresponding coloured marker.
Make It Visual
It’s not enough to simply write notes on the calendar. If you want to make planning and managing your schedule easier, you also need to make your calendar notes as visual as possible. Using colour coding systems (as discussed above), stickers, printed cards, coloured markers, and other visual elements will make your schedule easier to read and understand from a glance. Don’t be afraid to design and print your own visual elements for special activities and events. These will make your schedule livelier and more interesting, especially for your little ones.
Get Everyone Involved
Make school schedules a family affair and encourage everyone to help you organise them. This will make everyone – especially your kids – feel more involved in family activities. Getting everyone involved in planning and organising your schedules will also make everyone accountable for their own activities. As a bonus, this can also help teach your kids about responsibility, helping them understand how their activities can affect others.
Create Daily To-Do Lists
Aside from a year calendar of activities, it also helps to have a daily checklist for everyone in the family. Place this checklist near your calendar and make it accessible for everyone. You can use a small whiteboard for your checklist or print daily to-do lists that your child can tick off as they complete their tasks every day. You can combine school tasks (e.g. homework, projects) and house chores on these lists so your child knows what they’re responsible for.
All This Planning Will Pay Off
Yes, organising your school schedules will take some work and adjusting in the beginning. But once you’ve set up your system and everyone is familiar with how it works, you’ll find planning events and activities will become so much simpler. And if you have young kids, this can also help them learn the value of staying organised and following a regular schedule.
If you need more ideas organising your child’s schedule, feel free to contact us for more information.
