Week 2 Self-Management
“Where’s my coat?”
”I can’t find my crayons!”
“Is it lunchtime yet?”
“We’re going to be late…again!”
Sound familiar?
Being able to manage our materials and time are skills that help us successfully move through our day and reach goals. Organization and time management are two skills that fall under the umbrella of executive functions. If we help our young children to develop these skills early on, they will begin to establish some foundational strategies that will be beneficial throughout their life.
We can start by creating simple structured systems for keeping track of materials, schedules, and small amounts of time that are clearly and visually laid out for our children. Given time to practice these skills, the adults can gradually fade the amount of support until kids can independently move through simple routines.
The Puppet Kids this week are having trouble managing their time, schedules, routines, and materials. If you watch the video with your kids, they can make connections to the scenarios. Then you can guide them in problem-solving ways to take what they have learned and apply it to their own lives. This can be very helpful for teachers and parents who are helping their children establish new routines as they transition to the rhythms of September.