Every parent has been there. Your child looks up from the dinner table and says, “I have to make a diorama and write a report on South Dakota. It’s due tomorrow.”
The truth is that kids aren’t very good at managing any project that takes longer than a day or two.
A project board can be a great way to help your child learn how to keep control of projects that will take more than a few days to complete. From a science project to that report about South Dakota, a project board can keep your child moving forward.
Your child can make her own project board out of a big piece of tagboard or whiteboard.
Down the left side, have your child write the days or weeks until the project is due. If it’s a science project, it may stretch over two months. A big project may take a few weeks to complete.
Next, have your child write every step she will have to complete to finish the project. This includes “Go to the library,” “Buy a display board,” and even “Ask Mom to proofread.”
Now put the steps in order. What has to happen first? Next? Help your child set deadlines. Then write each step next to the date it has to be finished.
Then have your child move down the list step by step. No more last-minute projects!
Reprinted with permission from the December 2006 issue of Parents make the difference!® (Elementary School Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2006 The Parent Institute®, a division of NIS, Inc. Source: Ron Fry, How to Study, ISBN: 1-401-88911-5 (Thomson Delmar Learning, 1-800-347-7707, www.delmarlearning.com).